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Nie Mingjue is no longer sure what they are even watching on the TV because he cannot be bothered to. He vaguely remembers Wei Wuxian yelling excitedly when they stopped on one movie or another but Nie Mingjue doesn’t know if they ended up watching that because he’s too tired to properly watch it.
Things are a little bit cramped at his place at the moment because his apartment might be cosy but his living-room—and therefore his couch—is not that big and with everyone present it does get a little bit crowded.
He supposes he should be thankful that Wei Wuxian is not taking up another space, because he’s sitting in Lan Wangji’s lap, but that doesn’t really make it okay. Nie Huaisang is curled up at the end of the couch, Nie Mingjue sits on the other and Lan Xichen is seated between them. That leaves Jiang Cheng on the floor.
Nie Mingjue tried to get him to sit on a chair, or even squeeze him in on the couch, but Jiang Cheng has insisted again and again that this is perfectly fine for him. He made himself a little nest with blankets and he has taken to leaning against Nie Mingjue’s leg.
At the moment his head is on Nie Mingjue’s knee, and from his place Nie Mingjue can see that his eyes are closed, so clearly he isn’t paying that much attention either.
Nie Mingjue looks around the living room and finds that Nie Huaisang and Lan Xichen are quietly talking to each other, while Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan seem too busy to make out to even spare the TV a glance.
It seems that no one really cares about the movie that is currently playing but they are either too polite to simply leave or are too caught up in their own thing.
Nie Mingjue himself is pretty beat though, so he makes the executive decision to get them all out of his apartment sooner rather than later.
“Seeing as no one is really watching, I’d prefer it if we could call it an early night,” he says into the room and the way Jiang Cheng startles against his leg lets him know that he just woke up.
Nie Mingjue does kind of feel bad about that.
“Noooo, but the movie,” Wei Wuxian whines and Nie Mingjue sends him a pretty unimpressed look.
“Have you even looked at the screen in the last fifteen minutes?” he asks and the silence that follows is pretty telling. “Exactly. I’m dead tired, Wanyin already fell asleep and I think none of us really care for the movie at the moment, so why not call it a day?”
“Hey!” Jiang Cheng grumbles but when he turns to look at Nie Mingjue, there is a huge red spot on his cheekbone where he rested against Nie Mingjue’s knee and he flushes when Nie Mingjue taps the spot on his own face. “Rude,” Jiang Cheng mutters and Nie Mingjue laughs when he’s interrupted by a yawn.
“Okay, yeah, point taken,” Wei Wuxian says with a nod and gets up from his place on Lan Wangji’s lap. “You still good to drive us, though?” he asks Jiang Cheng who gives him an affronted look.
“Of course I am. And even if I wasn’t, you wouldn’t get the keys.”
“Aww, but Chengcheng,” Wei Wuxian whines even as Jiang Cheng decidedly shakes his head.
“No fucking way am I ever letting you behind my wheel ever again.”
Nie Mingjue finds that pretty sensible seeing as the last three times Wei Wuxian did wheedle Jiang Cheng into letting him drive there were crashes ranging from ‘not even noteworthy’ to ‘they had to get the police involved’.
Wei Wuxian was not even at fault for the last but it’s clear that he has pretty bad luck on the streets and Nie Mingjue wouldn’t want to tempt that either.
“Get up then, come on, come on,” Wei Wuxian urges him on, apparently suddenly anxious to get home and Jiang Cheng rolls his eyes.
“Yeah, shut up, I’m coming,” he groans out and moves to get up.
But before he actually does that he presses a kiss to Nie Mingjue’s leg as if to say farewell and it makes Nie Mingjue freeze where he sits.
He’s no longer really aware of how Jiang Cheng, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji leave because his mind keeps replaying that one moment again and again.
“Da-ge,” Nie Huaisang finally says and there is real worry in his voice. “Are you okay? You didn’t even say goodbye to any of them.”
“He kissed me,” Nie Mingjue mutters and Lan Xichen scoots closer to him.
“Wanyin? He did?” He sounds excited for some reason and Nie Huaisang lets out a little squeal.
“What? But when? I didn’t see!”
“What is going on?” Nie Mingjue wants to know, his brain finally coming back online and he doesn’t like the look Lan Xichen and Nie Huaisang share at all.
“Tell us about the kiss first,” Lan Xichen suggests and Nie Huaisang claps his hands together as if he’s especially excited by this.
“He just—he pressed a little kiss to my knee before he got up and left,” Nie Mingjue mutters and he can’t help but to rub his hand over the place that Jiang Cheng kissed.
It shouldn’t feel warm—there is no actual reason for it to feel warm—but Nie Mingjue thinks it still does.
“Ooohhh, finally!” Nie Huaisang yells which only confuses Nie Mingjue more.
“Why would he do that though?” he asks because it doesn’t make sense to him at all.
“Mingjue, you did notice his flirting, right?” Lan Xichen asks, but he sounds as if he already knows the answer and Nie Mingjue doesn’t like this.
And besides—
“What the fuck,” he mutters, because there is no way in hell Jiang Cheng has been flirting with him.
“I knew it!” Nie Huaisang yells out, pointing an accusing finger at Nie Mingjue. “You’re an oblivious fool.”
“Rude,” Nie Mingjue says on reflex and keeps his attention on Lan Xichen. He’s much more likely to give Nie Mingjue a proper answer than Nie Huaisang after all.
“Da-ge, Wanyin has been flirting with you for weeks now,” Lan Xichen says and Nie Mingjue thought he is the sane one.
But what he says doesn’t make any sense at all.
“He has not.”
“He has. He very definitely has. He even asked Huaisang what else he should do to get you to notice.”
“He talked to you about this?” Nie Mingjue now turns to Nie Huaisang.
“Of course he did. He was about to give up. I told him you are just so incredibly stupid in that regard that you didn’t even notice yet and that he would have to step up his game. It seems as if he finally did.”
“But—why didn’t he just say something?” Nie Mingjue wants to know because if Jiang Cheng had just told him, if he had just confessed then they could have been together ages ago.
“Why didn’t you?” Nie Huaisang shoots back and Nie Mingjue winces.
That’s not even a fair question, if he’s being honest, because Nie Mingjue has never thought about this before. And he didn’t even realize that this might be something he wants.
“You know A-Cheng, he would never say something if he wasn’t completely sure about this. He has been worrying his pretty little head off lately that he’s going to ruin your friendship if he confesses. I told him it wouldn’t because you feel the same but he doesn’t believe me. And I guess today is as bold as he will get without actually confessing to you.”
“How would you know if I feel the same about him?” Nie Mingjue asks because until like five minutes ago he didn’t even know it himself.
“Oh, please, you’re incredibly obvious,” Nie Huaisang waves him off and Lan Xichen the traitor nods.
“You kind of are. The way you look at him clued us all in ages ago. I just didn’t believe A-Sang when he said that you’re unaware. I thought you knew.”
“Fuck no,” Nie Mingjue mutters and scrubs a hand over his face. “What am I going to do now?”
“You’re going to confess, you idiot, what else,” Nie Huaisang immediately tells him and Nie Mingjue glares at him.
“You watch your words.”
“Not when you’re being an idiot. Why wouldn’t you confess?”
“I don’t know,” Nie Mingjue says, nervously rubbing his hands up and down his thighs.
There are butterflies in his stomach all of a sudden and he doesn’t know what to do with that at all.
“What if he says no?”
“Da-ge,” Lan Xichen sighs out and he seems more amused than anything else. “Didn’t we just tell you that he has been in love with you for ages now? Why would he say no?”
“Because I’m an oblivious idiot?”
“Ah, but he knows that,” Nie Huaisang says and then points a finger at Nie Mingjue. “Now, listen here. If you hurt him, I’ll kill you, so don’t do anything stupid.”
“Hey, you’re my brother. Shouldn’t the shovel talk be for him?”
“He will get one, too, don’t worry. But seriously, do not ever get me into a position where I have to chose between you, because that is not going to be pretty,” Nie Huaisang warns him and Nie Mingjue can imagine just how not-pretty it’s going to be.
Best not to think about it. Or do anything to provoke him.
“I won’t,” Nie Mingjue says with a nod and suddenly he’s antsy. He needs to leave right now and confess to Jiang Cheng.
“Go,” Lan Xichen nudges him with a smile. “He should be home by now.”
Nie Mingjue doesn’t have to be told twice because he gets up but Nie Huaisang steps into his way.
“You said you were pretty tired, too. Are you fit to drive? Do you want one of us to drive you?”
“I’m actually pretty wide awake right now,” Nie Mingjue admits, the need to move and get to Jiang Cheng burning under his skin.
“I can see that,” Lan Xichen laughs out. “Go get your man, then.”
“I will.” Nie Mingjue is dressed and ready to go before he’s even done speaking and he doesn’t even mind the way Nie Huaisang and Lan Xichen laugh at him.
“Be nice to him,” Nie Huaisang reminds him yet again, as if Nie Mingjue has ever been mean to Jiang Cheng in his entire life but he can see the worry for his friend in Nie Huaisang’s eyes, so he doesn’t comment on it and simply nods before he is out of the door.
It’s pretty hard to keep to the proper speed limits but Nie Mingjue reminds himself again and again that it will take him even longer to get to Jiang Cheng should the police stop him. It helps, somewhat, but by the time he finally arrives at Jiang Cheng’s apartment it feels as if he has lost weeks.
Which he kind of has, if what Nie Huaisang and Lan Xichen told him is true.
Nie Mingjue finds that his hand is shaking the slightest bit as he knocks on Jiang Cheng’s door and he’s impatiently shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
It takes Jiang Cheng an incredibly long time to answer the door and when he finally does, Nie Mingjue realizes why.
He’s wearing his pyjamas and was likely already in bed. He really must have been dead on his feet then and Nie Mingjue wonders if it would have been better to wait with the confession until tomorrow.
“Mingjue? Is everything alright? Did I forget something?” Jiang Cheng asks, his voice a little bit raspy from sleep already and Nie Mingjue wants to kiss him.
“I’m an oblivious idiot,” Nie Mingjue blurts out which makes Jiang Cheng blink before a blush spreads out over his face.
“Did Huaisang set you up to this?” he then demands to know and Nie Mingjue is quick to shake his head.
“Of course not, you know he would never do that. He threatened to kill me should I hurt you, so I’m not going to do that. I’m just—I really didn’t notice you flirting,” Nie Mingjue admits and Jiang Cheng worries his lower lip.
“What brought this on then?”
“You kissed my leg when you left. It made me realize a few things.”
“What things?” Jiang Cheng asks but there’s already a smile playing around his mouth.
“That you’re in love with me, for once,” Nie Mingjue says and takes a step closer, reaching out for Jiang Cheng’s hand. “And that I am in love with you.”
“Mh, I see,” Jiang Cheng says and also takes a step closer to Nie Mingjue. “And what are you going to do about it?”
“I’m going to ask you to be my boyfriend,” Nie Mingjue immediately says and he’s completely mesmerised when Jiang Cheng throws his head back with laughter.
“Then ask,” Jiang Cheng says when he finally calmed down and Nie Mingjue threads their fingers together.
“Wanyin, do you want to be my boyfriend?”
“Yes,” Jiang Cheng agrees without a second thought and it makes Nie Mingjue happy enough that he steps close enough to brush his lips against Jiang Cheng’s.
“I’m sorry it took me so long,” he whispers when they part but Jiang Cheng doesn’t seem to mind it that much, if his content smile is anything to go by.
“That’s okay,” he says, his voice just as soft as Nie Mingjue’s. “You’re here now, that’s all that matters.”
“I am,” Nie Mingjue agrees and then has to stifle a yawn behind his free hand.
“And you’re not driving back like this. You were tired even before. Come in, you can sleep here,” Jiang Cheng decides and pulls Nie Mingjue into the apartment.
It’s not as if Nie Mingjue wants to protest much so he lets Jiang Cheng bully him into some sleeping clothes and before he knows it they are curled up in Jiang Cheng’s bed. Nie Mingjue is glad that it wasn’t even a question if he’s going to sleep there with him and he can’t help but to pull Jiang Cheng even closer.
“I’m glad I finally realized it,” Nie Mingjue mutters and Jiang Cheng sighs.
“I’m glad you did too,” he teases back but they are both really too tired for more than that and so they fall asleep like this.
Curled up towards each other, their foreheads resting against each other and their hands clasped between them.