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Jiang Cheng is flipping through the channels on the TV trying to find something that he and Nie Mingjue could watch when something cold is pressed to his neck. He lets out a shriek, only for Nie Mingjue to laugh at him, before he hands him his bowl of ice cream.
“That was so uncalled for,” Jiang Cheng sniffs, small shivers still running through him but Nie Mingjue doesn’t seem to care because he grins at him.
“Worth it. I didn’t know your voice could get that high,” he teasingly says, and that’s it, just for that Jiang Cheng is going to steal his ice cream.
Traitorous boyfriends don’t deserve ice cream.
He puts his own ice cream on the table, before he lunges for Nie Mingjue’s bowl, successfully taking it out of his hands mostly because he apparently caught Nie Mingjue off guard.
Still, Jiang Cheng crows out in victory, pressing the bowl close to his chest to protect it.
“You,” Nie Mingjue huffs out, an amused sparkle in his eyes and he leaves Jiang Cheng just enough time to put the bowl down on the table as well before he’s upon him.
Nie Mingjue wrestles him back into the couch, his hands mercilessly tickling Jiang Cheng all the while and it doesn’t even take a minute before Jiang Cheng’s side’s hurt from laughter.
“Stop, stop, have mercy!” He weakly tries to push Nie Mingjue away, but of course he doesn’t have a chance.
“Ice cream thieves don’t get any mercy,” Nie Mingjue tells him, swooping in to steal a kiss even as he continues to tickle him.
“No, no, please, I was wrong, I’m sorry!” Jiang Cheng laughs out and finally Nie Mingjue relents.
“Let this be a lesson to you,” he says, which only makes Jiang Cheng laugh again.
“Yes, yes, no more ice cream stealing, understood.” Jiang Cheng is still mostly laying down on the couch, because he doesn’t have the strength to get up yet. His sides are hurting too much, but he can’t deny how happy he is, tickle attack or not.
“See that you remember,” Nie Mingjue warns him, though he softens his words with a kiss and Jiang Cheng certainly isn’t complaining when he moves downwards, pressing kisses all over Jiang Cheng’s aching chest and belly, as if he’s apologizing.
As he well should, Jiang Cheng fondly thinks, as he cards his fingers through Nie Mingjue’s hair.
Jiang Cheng is certainly not about to push Nie Mingjue away, but they get interrupted when they hear a key in the door. It makes both of them freeze; Jiang Cheng with his fingers halfway through Nie Mingjue’s hair, and Nie Mingjue with his lips pressed to Jiang Cheng’s belly.
“Is that Huaisang?” Jiang Cheng whispers in a panic and Nie Mingjue’s eyes are just as wide.
They haven’t yet told Nie Huaisang that they are dating and it would seem as if the universe decided on the timing for them.
“Fuck,” Nie Mingjue hisses, moving away from Jiang Cheng in a hurry as he tries to look presentable and not as if he just had a tickle fight with his boyfriend.
“Fuck,” Jiang Cheng agrees, covering his face with his hands because he knows there is no way out of this now.
And it’s not even as if they have something to hide, it’s just–they both have their own reservations about what Nie Huaisang will think about them dating and Jiang Cheng guesses they are now about to find out just how he will react.
“Da-ge?” Nie Huaisang calls out, his footsteps coming nearer every second and Jiang Cheng wonders if this is it.
If Nie Huaisang is about to seem them and start yelling and every happy thing Jiang Cheng finally has for himself is going to slip through his fingers.
“We’re here, Huaisang,” Nie Mingjue says, his voice defeated as if he already knows the outcome and Jiang Cheng reaches out to link their hands together.
“We?” Nie Huaisang asks as he steps into the living-room and he comes to a surprised stop as soon as he sees them.
“Hi,” Jiang Cheng weakly says and even goes so far as to wave his hand at Nie Huaisang.
They have clearly taken Nie Huaisang by surprise because he opens and closes his mouth several times before he pins Nie Mingjue with a hard glare.
“You. Sit right here,” he snaps out, coming around the couch and taking Jiang Cheng’s hand in his. “And you. With me.”
His voice doesn’t leave room for any kind of argument so Jiang Cheng simply gets up and follows him into Nie Huaisang’s room where he’s being sat down on the bed.
“Huaisang, I–” Jiang Cheng tries to say but Nie Huaisang silences him with a look.
“Are you okay?” he asks and there is so much genuine concern in his voice that Jiang Cheng immediately nods.
“Yes, of course. We were just having a tickle fight.”
“Alright, but like–I know da-ge can be very convincing and he’s so hard to say no to, I know that very well, so if he coerced you into something–”
“Huaisang,” Jiang Cheng cuts him off. “Are you seriously implying that your brother is forcing me to be together with him?”
Jiang Cheng is affronted on Nie Mingjue’s behalf when Nie Huaisang wrings his hands in front of his body.
“I am just saying that if you do not want to be with him, you will tell him that.”
“Huaisang, seriously, where is this coming from?” Jiang Cheng wants to know because in all the times he has imagined Nie Huaisang’s reaction to their relationship, this has never crossed his mind.
“I should be asking you that,” Nie Huaisang shoots back and sits down next to Jiang Cheng, though the concerned look on his face doesn’t vanish. “You never once hinted at something like this, that you would want that. I just don’t know what’s happening.”
“And your first impulse is to think that Mingjue is forcing me?”
“Well,” Nie Huaisang winces. “Not really forcing. But he’s so good at talking people into things–it’s why the company is flourishing after all–so I am just concerned that he sweet-talked you until you gave this at least a try.”
“Huaisang, this has been going on for weeks,” Jiang Cheng admits and he hates to see the hurt look on his face. “I’m sorry.”
“Why didn’t you ever say anything?” Nie Huaisang whispers and Jiang Cheng shrugs.
“I can’t speak for Mingjue, but I–I was scared.”
“Of what?” Nie Huaisang wants to know and Jiang Cheng lowers his gaze, preferring to look at his own hands rather than Nie Huaisang’s face.
“Your reaction.”
“My–what did you think I would do? Disapprove? Why would that matter?”
“Of course it matters, Huaisang. You kept saying how no one is ever good enough for your da-ge, you found some kind of fault in everyone and I’m just–me. I know you don’t mind me as your friend, but as your brother’s boyfriend? I wasn’t keen on finding out just how unworthy I am. Just how much you would disapprove.”
“Okay, first of all; I don’t mind you as my friend, I love you as my best friend, so jot that down. Second; yes, I found fault with all of da-ge’s potential partners, because there were so many faults to find. Do you really want to tell me that Wen Xu would have been good enough for him? That there was nothing wrong with Meng Yao?” Nie Huaisang wants to know and Jiang Cheng winces just from hearing those names.
Both of them had rubbed him the wrong way as well, if he’s being honest.
“Exactly!” Nie Huaisang exclaims, clearly able to read the thought right off Jiang Cheng’s face.
“Still. Being a friend and being your brother’s boyfriend are different things,” Jiang Cheng still insists and is not at all prepared for the way Nie Huaisang tackles him to the bed in a hug.
“No, they are not, not when it comes to you,” he insists. “If you ever even gave a hint that you wanted this, I would have schemed to get you two together ages ago. I always thought it would be great if you two could end up together,” Nie Huaisang whispers, as if he’s admitting to a secret and Jiang Cheng slings his arms around him.
“And I always thought you would mind. I wasn’t looking forward to testing our friendship like that,” Jiang Cheng admits in return. “But then Mingjue confessed and–I could hardly say no.”
“Of course you couldn’t!” Nie Huaisang says and abruptly sits up. “That reminds me that da-ge is still out there.”
There’s a look on Nie Huaisang’s face that Jiang Cheng doesn’t like and so he warily asks: “What are you going to do?”
“He needs a shovel talk,” Nie Huaisang decides and climbs off the bed.
“Huaisang, no! If anyone should get a shovel talk then it should be me!”
"Nonsense," Nie Huaisang says without looking back at Jiang Cheng and leaves the bedroom.
Jiang Cheng scrambles to follow him, and sees that Nie Mingjue is still on the couch, clearly more nervous than he wants to let on and he straightens up when Nie Huaisang marches up to him.
“I am disappointed,” Nie Huaisang starts with and Jiang Cheng winces.
That always hits so much worse than just being angry.
“Why didn’t you say something? I have heard A-Cheng’s reasoning but what about you?”
Nie Mingjue throws a helpless look at Jiang Cheng who can do nothing more but shrug, even as he quickly moves across the room to sit next to Nie Mingjue.
He knows how much Nie Mingjue hates it when Nie Huaisang is angry at him so it must be even worse now that he said he’s disappointed and Jiang Cheng doesn’t want him to feel worse than he clearly already does.
And if he’s being honest, Jiang Cheng is curious as well. It had been his suggestion to not say anything for now and simply see where it’s going but Nie Mingjue had agreed so quickly that in retrospect it should have been strange.
“I was scared,” Nie Mingjue immediately admits.
“Of what?” Nie Huaisang asks, clearly completely exasperated and Nie Mingjue shrugs.
“What it would do to your friendship if we don’t work out. I don’t remember you having a friend like Wanyin and I didn’t want to destroy that.”
“If you really thought that you wouldn’t have gotten into a relationship with him without telling me in the first place!”
“Maybe you’re right,” Nie Mingjue admits. “But it’s easier to resolve something between two people rather than three.”
“That is the most bullshit explanation I have ever heard!”
Nie Mingjue works his jaw for a few moments before he huffs out a breath.
“Fine. I was scared you would disapprove enough to not let me date him. And I wanted this enough to go behind your back.”
At that Nie Huaisang stares at him.
“You–you would have called it off if I disapprove? You both would have?”
Nie Mingjue and Jiang Cheng share a look. Clearly they both know just how much Nie Huaisang means to the other.
“Unbelievable,” Nie Huaisang mutters and then points at Nie Mingjue. “Listen here, da-ge. Hurt him and I will kill you.” He turns towards Jiang Cheng. “Do your best not to hurt him but don’t push yourself.”
“Huaisang!” Nie Mingjue sounds completely scandalized but Nie Huaisang only nods.
“Now that I said my piece, I’ll leave you be. I was kind of interrupting before, don’t think I haven’t noticed.”
Jiang Cheng narrows his eyes in confusion but as soon as the implication hits him he goes bright red.
“A tickle fight! You interrupted a tickle fight!”
“Sure, is that what the kids call it these days?” Nie Huaisang teasingly says and ducks out of the way when Nie Mingjue throws a pillow at him. “Alright, alright, geez, I’m going.”
Before either of them can say anything else Nie Huaisang leaves in the same hurry in which he arrived and in the silence he leaves behind Nie Mingjue and Jiang Cheng share a look.
“You wanted this enough to lie to him?” Jiang Cheng then asks and is completely charmed when Nie Mingjue blushes slightly.
“I put your ice cream back into the freezer. If you make fun of me, I will not get it for you,” he threatens Jiang Cheng, who almost crushes him to death with a hug.
“Why would I make fun of you for that? I love you, too,” he whispers, and he is incredibly relieved when Nie Mingjue’s arms come up around him without hesitation.
“I love you,” Nie Mingjue says as well and they stay like that for long moments.
It feels a little bit different, now that they don’t have to hide this anymore but Jiang Cheng just knows that things will be even better now.