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For the fourth time in ten days, Wei Wuxian is blowing off plans with Nie Huaisang. Needless to say, Huaisang is on the warpath, which Wei-Xiong would be aware of if he weren’t flaking out of their plans!
It started sporadically; missing a brunch here, a Gay Guy Music Video Night™ there. Last-second texts saying “sorry, something came up!” that Nie Huaisang initially believed at face-value.
They’ve known each other for years, and when they realized they’d be attending the same college, they immediately snatched up the chance to room together. Wei Wuxian is his best friend, and Nie Huaisang thought that he was the same to Wei Wuxian until the guy’s frequent bailing had him questioning everything.
For the life of him, Nie Huaisang can’t figure out what the hell he did to make his “best friend” not want to be around him anymore, and he’s far too afraid of possibly torpedoing their friendship to ask.
When in doubt, there’s only one thing to do: reconnaissance.
Nie Huaisang’s honestly in his feelings about the whole situation; when you go from feeling like you know a person, and they know you, to being shoved to the periphery of their life, it’s jarring. It doesn’t help that he has a history of bad luck in both making and keeping friends. Wei Wuxian had been the exception; most other people they knew growing up found Huaisang too annoying, too sensitive, too flamboyant, but not Wei-Xiong.
When the two of them first met in a high school English class, it was like finding a long-lost kindred spirit! They’d both simultaneously rolled their eyes at their teacher’s intense love of Ethan Frome, and when their sardonic gazes met from across the room, they became platonically linked for life. They looked straight into each other’s souls and immediately thought, “FRIEND.”
While Nie Huaisang met people in college, none of them connected with him the same way he and Wei-Xiong had. Even surrounded by people, he was pretty lonely.
…Which makes it all the more unforgivable that Wei-Xiong keeps bailing on him.
Nie Huaisang is lonesome, okay?! Sue him!
Most of the time, though, he’s the problem, so while he wouldn’t be surprised if he did something that made Wei-Xiong hate him, he’d like to know exactly what he did to deserve that! He just wants to understand!
So, he cooks up his scheme to tail Wei Wuxian the next time “something comes up” to find out 1. what could be so important that it’s stealing his best friend away, and 2. punish Wei-Xiong accordingly, if warranted.
👀👀👀
When Nie Huaisang clandestinely trails after Wei Wuxian on Saturday morning, he doesn’t anticipate having to take a two-hour train ride to a cutesy little town in the middle of nowhere. What the hell, Wei-Xiong?! The unfamiliar terrain makes Nie Huaisang’s job a little more challenging, but with the power of Google Maps and the Airtag he dropped into Wei Wuxian’s crossbody bag, he’s unstoppable.
Nie Huaisang had contemplated microchipping Wei Wuxian, but as a person who’s capable of realizing when something is crazy before he says it, kept that idea to himself. Honestly, the fact that Wei-Xiong is unaware of an Airtag that Nie Huaisang slipped into his bag — which only fits his phone, wallet, chapstick, keys, and maybe a condom — speaks to why someone needs to keep an eye on him. He’s too kidnappable!
When Wei Wuxian plops down at a table outside a cafe and hides behind a menu, Nie Huaisang starts to worry. The situation is starting to look like a drug handoff, or something out of a spy movie. Wei Wuxian has always been fond of the Mission Impossible movies; Nie Huaisang wouldn’t put it past him to try to emulate Tom Cruise. Did his roommate get mixed up in something he shouldn’t have, like Scientology? Why all the secrecy?
As Nie Huaisang spirals, a tall, built man in a baseball cap and sunglasses quickly walks up to Wei Wuxian’s table with purpose; Nie Huaisang’s stomach drops.
He’s not sure what he expects — perhaps a punch to the face, or for Wei Wuxian to be held at gunpoint — but that’s not what happens.
The mystery man bends down and kisses Wei Wuxian.
Well, there goes the Scientology theory.
The longer Nie Huaisang watches, the shittier he feels. His “best” “friend” is running around with some sort of secret boyfriend, going on secret dates, exchanging secret kisses, and he didn’t say a word of it to Nie Huaisang! Huaisang, for all his faults, has never hidden anything from Wei Wuxian. He tells Wei Wuxian everything. Perhaps too many things, honestly.
It’s not that Nie Huaisang expects his same level of openness to be reciprocated, but a boyfriend is a super major part of someone’s life to just… not tell your ostensible best friend!
Seeing Wei Wuxian bask in his mystery man’s attention, knowing that he didn’t want to share about this part of his life with Nie Huaisang… it hurts. It really, genuinely hurts. Like… is he seriously so untrustworthy that Wei Wuxian can’t say “hey, I’m seeing somebody,” at the very least?!
The more he stews in the pain, the more other feelings arise: betrayal, anger, and grief all rolled into one intense emotional burrito.
Nie Huaisang isn’t typically one to make impulsive moves; in fact, his preference is to hold a grudge forever and slowly but surely enact psychological warfare upon those who wrong him or those he loves — ask his Da-ge’s toxic ex! But currently, he’s not thinking straight, and at his core, he doesn’t think that he has it in him to inflict his usual level of torment upon Wei Wuxian.
It almost feels like an out-of-body experience when his feet carry him over to their table. Is this how Da-ge feels whenever his anger gets the better of him? If so, yikes.
“Wei-Xiong, what the fuck?!” When Wei Wuxian becomes aware of Nie Huaisang’s presence — and his anger — he nearly jumps out of his skin.
Wei Wuxian nervously scratches at the back of his head and sinks into his seat.
“Nie-Xiong… Heyyyy, bestie…” Wei Wuxian mumbles. Nie Huaisang isn’t having it.
“Don’t you ‘Nie-Xiong me,’ you traitor.” Nie Huaisang says flatly. “Y’know, I thought that maybe you’ve just been avoiding me since you keep flaking on all our plans, or at least hoping that you at least had a good reason for ditching me constantly this semester!”
“Huaisang, it’s not like that…” Wei Wuxian frowns.
“Yeah, it’s not, cuz you’ve just been going on secret dates with your SECRET boyfriend!” Nie Huaisang scolds. “Your super-duper secret, clandestine boyfriend that you can’t tell your ‘best friend’ about?!”
“Lan Zhan isn’t exactly my boyfriend…” Wei Wuxian mumbles, and it’s like a record scratch moment from an early aught’s movie. For one, Wei Wuxian’s date’s sunglasses slip away from his eyes, and Nie Huaisang realizes that he recognizes the guy: Lan Wangji, the “hot, but mean” Philosophy Seminar TA that Wei Wuxian hasn’t been able to stop talking about since his first day of classes. Second, the dude looks a little bit devastated by that. Wei Wuxian flushes and keeps digging himself into a deeper hole. “We haven’t put a label on things, yet.”
“That’s not the part that matters!” Nie Huaisang feels his eyes tightening and knows that he has approximately thirty seconds to remove himself from this situation before he stoops to something as undignified as crying. He hates crying, especially in front of other people. “We don’t keep things from each other! I’ve never kept anything from you!”
“Huaisang…” Wei Wuxian’s voice softens. Oh no, Nie Huaisang will not be subjected to pity right now! It’s the danger that comes from being known so well. Nie Huaisang can’t stop his first tear from escaping.
“I’ve never kept anything from you, Wei-Xiong.” He turns away and storms off, scrubbing at his eyes with the soft cashmere sleeves of his cardigan.
Nie Huaisang doesn’t have a particular direction in mind, he just needs to get away. After aimlessly wandering as fast and far as his legs can carry him, he settles down on a bench. It overlooks a river that cuts through the town and is shaded by a tree. He wishes he packed the miniature watercolor kit that Wei Wuxian gave him during his last birthday; it’s a perfect spot for contemplation and painting. Alas, he had planned a day of espionage and didn’t think he’d have the time to take an art break.
As he looks out over the river and watches the nearby people meander through their lives, a newfound calm washes over him. People-watching tends to do that to him; it reminds him that no matter how big the things going on around him feel, other people are living out their own dramas, too.
He closes his eyes and absorbs the soft rays of the sun that brush his face when they peek in through the dappled leaves above him. The gentle breeze sweeps tousles his carefully-styled hair, and he’s not mad at that, either.
Eventually, he senses a presence beside him on the bench. He knows exactly who it is, and he’s not willing to open his eyes just yet.
Of course, that sort of thing has never stopped Wei Wuxian before.
“I’m sorry, Huaisang.” Wei Wuxian gently says. “I got caught up in a lot of excitement, and in the process I was being a shitty friend to you.”
Nie Huaisang squeezes his eyes shut tighter. The petty little animal inside of him is not one-hundred percent ready to make nice yet, even though Nie Huaisang’s heart craves to be back on even footing with his friend. There’s this teeny-tiny voice in the back of his head that says “wait! Wait until you see if they’ll work for your forgiveness! Wait to see how hard they’ll fight to regain your affection!”
It’s the type of thing that his one-time grief counselor would tell him is a side-effect of the abandonment issues that his parents’ death gave him. It’s also the exact same brand of issues that Wei Wuxian — someone more like him than anybody would ever guess — has.
“Can I tell you why, at least?” Wei Wuxian asks.
Nie Huaisang nods his head slowly, though he keeps his eyes closed. “You may.”
“It’s not that I didn’t want to tell you, you know.” Wei Wuxian sighs. “There were like, a zillion times that I almost spilled everything to you. I always want to tell you everything, and like… I’ve been DYING to gush about Lan Zhan to you…”
“You already kinda were.” Nie Huaisang opens his eyes reluctantly, only for the sake of being able to roll his eyes at Wei Wuxian. “You went on, and on, and on about Lan Wangji for like, several minutes out of every day this semester!”
“...Okay, fair!” Wei Wuxian has the decency to cringe at that. “But like, not about what it’s like to date him, y’know?”
Nie Huaisang huffs out a sigh.
“...I would have wanted those details, yeah…” He admits. Wei Wuxian smiles the smallest bit at him, and he feels the air clearing a little bit already.
“The thing is, since Lan Zhan is TAing my class, he could get in trouble if people knew that we’re seeing each other!” Wei Wuxian wrings his hands together in the way that Nie Huaisang knows means that he’s anxious, but not totally aware of the anxiety yet. “So like, nobody knows about it.”
Nie Huaisang doesn’t say a word, but he does raise an eyebrow somewhat skeptically. No matter how hot someone is, Wei Wuxian isn’t the type of person who should ever be subjected to being someone’s secret. But with his best friend’s myriad of self-worth issues, he’s not surprised that Wei Wuxian is just… letting it happen.
“Don’t look at me like that, he could lose his job, or get kicked out of the university!” Wei Wuxian whines. “Like he’s trying to do some stuff to keep things above-board. Like he traded his batch of students to the other TA in the seminar, so he’s not grading any of my work, and I don’t go to his office hours! But still, we’re being cautious.”
“Hence the dates two hours away from campus, him wearing a disguise just to kiss you, et cetera?” Nie Huaisang isn’t really impressed with this guy, honestly. He doesn’t want to see his best friend tying himself up into knots over anybody.
“We only have to sneak around like this for a few more months.” Wei Wuxian’s voice is soft and fragile. Nie Huaisang can see in his eyes that this is genuinely weighing on him heavily. “Once I’m no longer his student, technically, we can at least start being seen together around campus.”
“Wei-Xiong…” Nie Huaisang’s heart sinks at that. It’s genuinely fucked up to him that someone as bright and lovely as Wei Wuxian is just… so okay with making himself small for some guy.
“I don’t wanna ruin anything for Lan Zhan! It’s fine.” Wei Wuxian pastes on a fake smile.
“Do you… actually want this guy to be your boyfriend?” Nie Huaisang has to ask. He has to vet this guy ASAP, and thoroughly. “Is that why y’all haven’t defined your relationship yet?!”
“Of course I want that!” Wei Wuxian groans. He buries his face in his hands. “I don’t think he wants me the same way, though.”
Nie Huaisang’s brain can’t compute that. He doesn’t say anything; he knows that Wei Wuxian will be able to fill it in a matter of moments.
“...He would have said something, if he wanted that.” Wei Wuxian looks down at the ground, somber. “He’s the type of guy who always says what he means. He’d have said if he actually wants me long-term, or that this isn’t just some sort of sexy, illicit little forbidden-fruit kinda fling.”
“Wei-Xiong…” Nie Huaisang frowns deeply.
“He has a lot of goals, and all these things that he wants to accomplish.” Wei Wuxian says with a degree of finality. “I just… I don’t think he sees me anywhere in all of that.”
“If that’s true, then he’s not just dumb, he’s stupid.” Nie Huaisang says flatly. “... Do you want me to kill him?”
This teases a laugh out of Wei Wuxian; a real, genuine laugh. The world feels a little bit brighter for it.
“Huaisang!” Wei Wuxian snorts. “Noooo!”
“You sure?” Nie Huaisang pokes at his arm. “I’ve got a guy.”
“No, it’d make me too sad.” Wei Wuxian says. He gives Nie Huaisang a sly grin. “...Plus, his dick is too good to waste.”
Nie Huaisang snorts violently at that. When he collects himself, he pats his best friend’s knee. “As long as you’re happy enough.”
“I just want to hang onto this while I can, y’know,” Wei Wuxian’s smile goes a little watery. “Before he figures out what he actually wants and realizes that it’s not me. Besides, the semester is ending soon; that day’ll come sooner than we think.”
…Good god. Nie Huaisang is probably going to have to kill this guy, huh?
👀👀👀
Nie Huaisang isn’t going to kill Lan Wangji. Yet.
But he never said anything to Wei Wuxian about putting the fear of God into his situationship. As the semester wound down, Wei Wuxian opened up more and more about his secret relationship with his “Lan Zhan.” While he shared his joys, he also shared extensively about his anxiety while waiting for the other shoe to drop. He was convinced that the moment he was no longer Lan Wangji’s “student,” he’d be getting dumped since all of the “excitement” over their “illicit affair” would surely end.
Seeing Wei Wuxian coming back to the room with puffy, red eyes over and over again, and pretending to sleep while his roommate sobbed quietly only solidified Nie Huaisang’s assertion that Lan Wangji needs to pay.
After putting his nose into several places it doesn’t necessarily belong, Nie Huaisang susses out the guy’s office hours and waits in the hallway like a predator ready to strike as those hours wind down to a close.
Once the last student of the evening walks out the door, wishing Lan Wangji well, he makes his move. Before the door can close all the way, he quickly shoves a foot in the threshold and stops it. Lan Wangji gives him a cold look, clearly recognizing Nie Huaisang from the previous weekend.
“Lan Wangji, we need to talk.” He shuts the door firmly behind him. “Nie Huaisang; I didn’t get a chance to properly introduce myself the last time we met.”
He holds his hand out for a handshake, and when Lan Wangji reluctantly takes it, he grips him in the way his Da-ge taught him to do when you want to “scare the tar out of somebody” and “let them know that you’re un-fuck-with-able.”
Lan Wangji doesn’t even grimace. A formidable opponent, then.
“A pleasure.” Lan Wangji says, unphased and definitely not actually pleased.
Seeing that his initial efforts of psychological torment aren’t working, Nie Huaisang releases Lan Wangji’s hand. He needs to save his strength where he can.
“For sure.” Nie Huaisang says, channeling his inner Da-ge in terms of sternness. “Anywho, you probably know why I’m here so I’ll skip the pleasantries. What are your intentions with Wei-Wuxian?”
“...Intentions?” The older student looks deeply puzzled by the question. Has this guy never been on the receiving end of a shovel talk before?!
“Your intentions!” Nie Huaisang groans. “Like, are you serious about him? Is this just a fling to you? Because if you’re planning on just dumping Wei-Xiong after you’ve had your fun, you need to stop stringing him along—”
“Stringing him…?” Lan Wangji’s brows furrow deeply. “...What?!”
“Don’t interrupt!” Nie Huaisang snaps. “People love to underestimate Wei-Xiong since he’s always got a smile on his face, but he feels things deeply and personally, and he’s got it in his head that you don’t feel the same way he does about you, and it’s hurting him more than he’ll ever let on.”
“Wei Ying is not wrong.” Lan Wangji frowns.
Nie Huaisang stops in his tracks. Is this guy just gonna… up and say that he’s not serious about Wei-Xiong?! What the fuck?!
“...You’re one cold motherfucker.” Nie Huaisang’s tone is icy. “Wei Wuxian is literally the embodiment of what would happen if a wizard placed a spell on a beam of sunshine and turned it into a person, and you’re just gonna mess around with him while he tears himself to pieces waiting for you to eventually dump him. That’s beyond messed up.”
Lan Wangji’s generally unreadable face is more expressive than Nie Huaisang has seen it, yet.
“I would not do that to Wei Ying.” Lan Wangji’s eyes harden. “I know that Wei Ying is younger, and looking for a good time, and he will find someone better than me, eventually, but I will not put him through turmoil in the meantime.”
Wait.
“Wait.” Nie Huaisang holds up a hand and stops Lan Wangji from continuing; surely he must appreciate it, since based off of how Wei Wuxian described his taciturn nature, this is likely the most he’s spoken in one go in weeks. “Are you telling me that you’re serious about Wei-Xiong?”
“Of course.” Lan Wangji’s expression is defiant, as if daring Nie Huaisang to question his adoration for his best friend.
“...And you don’t think that he’s serious about you?” Nie Huaisang asks. Lan Wangji honest-to-god pouts at the question.
“Of course not…” Lan Wangji looks at him like he just killed a beloved family pet. “Wei Ying said that we are not boyfriends. You were there.”
“Oh… buddy…” Nie Huaisang doesn’t know how to delicately tell this man that he’s being stupid.
“Wei Ying will realize that I am too… dull; too stuffy and boring to ever make someone as radiant as him truly happy.” Lan Wangji sags, defeated. “When he does, he will move onto someone else, like a butterfly to another flower.”
…So it seems like both halves of this couple have some self-worth issues to work through!
“Can you forgive me for wanting to hold onto that butterfly as long as I can?” Lan Wangji sinks into his desk chair. “I know that it cannot last, but I would like it to.”
Nie Huaisang ponders his words carefully, before finally speaking up.
“Lan Wangji, I think that there’s a lot that you and Wei-Xiong need to communicate about.” Nie Huaisang says. He knows Wei Wuxian would strangle him for meddling, but if it ensures that he and this walking jade statue that he’s fallen for get a happy ending, the ends justify the means. “He’d kill me if he knew I’m telling you this, but Wei-Xiong is super serious about you.”
“What?” Lan Wangji’s eyes go wide and hopeful.
“He’s got it in his head that he’s just some sort of ‘forbidden fruit’ fling to you, and that you’re gonna toss him aside once there’s no longer that element in your relationship.” Nie Huaisang bluntly states. From the look of horror that puts on Lan Wangji’s face, it would appear that that’s not what lan Wangji wants at all. Nie Huaisang can’t help but pity the guy.
“Look… It may not have been anything specific you did that made him believe that,” Nie Huaisang continues. “Wei-Xiong has a history of people leaving him behind, or falling hard and being sumped because people sometimes think he’s more trouble than he’s worth. He’s been let down a lot, by far too many people to count. He has a really hard time believing that something good will stay in his life.”
“I… I would give anything in the world to make sure Wei Ying never feels that way again.” Lan Wangji’s tone softens.
“So, what will you do about it?” Nie Huaisang presents his challenge. It’s not a taunt, nor a statement saying he doesn’t believe Lan Wangji to be capable of stepping up to the plate. Not at all. If Lan Wangji can read between the lines, he’ll see what it is: Nie Huaisang taking a leap of faith and entrusting him with his dearest friend’s heart.
“I will inform Wei Ying of my intentions.” Lan Wangji stands up, straightens his spine, and gives Nie Huaisang a look that dares him to try to stop him. “And I will ensure that — under no uncertain circumstances — he knows how deeply I need him in my life.”
While the whole “tall, silent, and sexy” thing doesn’t really do it for Nie Huaisang, he can certainly see the appeal in an ungodly handsome man rattling off solemn statements of devotion; especially for someone like Wei Wuxian, who’s always craved steadiness and stability from relationships.
If Lan Wangji can set the record straight properly, maybe Nie Huaisang will have an ally in ensuring the welfare of his best friend, potentially for the rest of their lives.
👀👀👀
With Lan Wangji’s intentions verified, Nie Huaisang drags the dude across campus to his and Wei Wuxian’s dorm. He already knows Wei Wuxian is there — he checked the Airtag! (Much to Lan Wangji’s horror.) — most likely studying away for his finals, or perhaps just scrolling on his phone to kill time. They don’t talk much on the walk over; Nie Huaisang because he has no idea what to say, and Lan Wangji because he’s just like that. It’s only moderately awkward; maybe in the future, when they have Wei Wuxian as a buffer, they’ll be able to have a conversation that doesn’t primarily consist of Nie Huaisang telling people off!
Nie Huaisang quickly signs Lan Wangji into their dormitory, swiping his campus ID with the desk attendant, which clearly makes the TA nervous.
“It’s gonna be fine, dude.” Nie Huaisang says when they cross through the doors and make their way up the few flights of stairs to his and Wei Wuxian’s room. “A lot of TA’s actually host study groups in dorms during crunch time, since the Library isn’t open 24 hours and people don’t have to reserve the floor lounges.”
“Mn.” The wrinkle in between Lan Wangji’s eyebrows smooths out slightly.
“Nobody is gonna think anything of a TA being signed in as a dorm guest during finals season, I promise.” Nie Huaisang pats Lan Wangji’s shoulder in encouragement.
When they finally reach their door, Nie Huaisang tosses it open and pushes Lan Wangji through, before Wei Wuxian can process what’s going on and therefore get mad at him.
Unfortunately, their quick entrance doesn’t give them adequate time to be aware of the scene inside the room.
Wei Wuxian is curled in a ball under his covers, spooning a box of tissues when he abruptly sits up and starts furiously wiping at his eyes. From the way Lan Wangji’s looking at his roommate, Nie Huaisang thinks this may be the first time his bestie’s beau is seeing the guy cry.
It feels a bit wrong for him to be present for this, but at the same time, he can’t help but worry that these communicationally-challenged disasters won’t be able to properly confess to one another.
“Lan Zhan!” Wei Ying hiccups ever-so-slightly. He tries to hide it by nervously giggling. “Fancy, uh… seeing you here?”
“Wei Ying…” Lan Wangji looks physically pained by Wei Wuxian’s current state. “...Is this my fault?”
“Probably.” Nie Huaisang doesn’t have time for this. He gives Lan Wangji a stern look. “Lan Wangji, just tell him what you told me; what you came here to say.”
“Right.” Lan Wangji approaches Wei Wuxian’s bed and sits awkwardly on the edge of it. He stares deep into Wei Wuxian’s watery eyes. “Wei Ying, I will not be abandoning you. You are not a ‘fling’ to me. I am very serious about you, and I would like to hold onto you for as long as you will have me.”
“Lan Zhan…” Wei Wuxian’s eyes go wide. “Do you really mean that?”
“Yes.” Lan Wangji scoops up one of Wei Wuxian’s hands, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I want to be yours, in every way.”
“I want to be yours, too.” Wei Wuxian’s voice is terribly soft; the quietest Nie Huaisang has ever heard him ever. “I want you to be my boyfriend, Lan Zhan.”
“Mn.” Lan Wangji’s face does something that seems to be an approximation of a smile. It makes Wei Wuxian beam. “Boyfriends.”
With a job well done, Nie Huaisang can feel proud of himself for saving his best friend’s burgeoning romance before he or his new man’s tendency towards miscommunication could keep it from properly taking off. He pats himself on the back, mentally.
He may have done a bit too good of a job, because now Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian have launched themselves at each other and are swapping spit.
On the one hand, Nie Huaisang is happy for them! Young love, yay!!!
On the other hand, he knows he’s being sexiled.
With a deep sigh, he grabs a pair of pajamas, his toiletry kit, a phone charger, and a particularly soft blanket from his bed. While he’s at it, he digs out a bottle of lube and a box of condoms and tosses them in the kissing couple’s direction.
“Y’all be easy, now.” Nie Huaisang drawls as he walks out the door, locking it behind him.
This hasn’t happened to him yet, but he’s seen plenty of other less-fortunate roommates of people with sex lives get relegated to the couches on the floor lounges for the sake of their hornier roommates. It’s a noble act, truly.
Nie Huaisang gets ready for bed in the floor’s communal bathroom; he takes an “everything shower” to unwind, then manages to do eleven steps of his twelve-step skincare routine. Unfortunately, he doesn’t think that it’d be a good idea to sleep with a bright green algae mask on when it could stain the cushions of the floor lounge’s doctor’s office-esque couches.
The things he does for Wei-Xiong…
Eventually, he settles down on the firm, grossly uncomfortable couch and wraps himself up in a blanket. With the incandescent ceiling lights above him, Nie Huaisang kicks himself for not thinking to grab an eye mask. With a groan, he turns onto his side and attempts to hide his face in the back of the couch. The somewhat plasticy feel of the cushion covers against his skin negates any of the good that comes from the darkness he gained, and he rolls onto his back again.
“Are you alright?”
Nie Huaisang is startled into nearly falling off the couch by a soft voice that comes out of nowhere! He turns to face whoever disturbed him, ready to give them an earful on the topic of how you shouldn’t sneak up on people who are trying to sleep in precarious situations, and wow.
Before him stands a hulking mass of goth cutie; a young man who’s gotta be at least six-foot-four with long, dark hair and a deathly palor. Between his looming posture and his kind, gentle face, he’s kinda giving Jacob Elordi as Frankenstein’s Monster.
Nie Huaisang has had a lot of dreams about Jacob Elordi’s Frankenstein performance.
“I’m sorry,” the big, beautiful goth guy winces. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I tend to do that sometimes…”
The poor guy looks like a kicked puppy (sorry, Wei Wuxian!), and Nie Huaisang can’t have that! He sits up a little straighter on the couch, pulling his blanket up around himself and gesturing for the other student to sit down. He does so immediately and obediently.
“It’s okay!” Nie Huaisang tosses his hair in a way that Wei Wuxian assured him is very attractive. “Maybe you can keep me company for a little while?”
“Oh!” The boy seems surprised. “If that’s what you want, sure!”
Nie Huaisang isn’t sure if he wants to climb this boy like a tree or make him drink a steaming mug of hot cocoa. Maybe both?
“Most people find me a little, uh, intimidating.” The guy flushes a little as he gets as comfortable as he can on the couch. Nie Huaisang scoots a little closer, gently knocking his thigh into him. “People are scared to talk to me, a lot of the time.”
“Well, I’m Nie Huaisang, and you’ll find that I’m not like most people.” Nie Huaisang grins at the boy, who’s now blushing even harder. “What’s your name?”
“W-Wen Qionglin.” He says quietly, almost a little unsure. “You may call me ‘Wen Ning,’ if you’d like.”
“I’d like that.” Nie Huaisang’s smile melts into something a little softer. This guy is adorable; he’s going to eat him alive!
“Why are you sleeping in the floor lounge?” Wen Ning asks, concern in his big ol’ puppy-dog eyes. “Are you having problems with your roommate?”
“It’s nothing that serious!” Nie Huaisang laughs. “My roommate just has someone uh, ‘spending the night’ in our room and needs the place to himself, if you catch my drift.”
Wen Ning turns even redder at that. Oh, Nie Huaisang is going to have so much fun with him!
“Alas, poor little me got exiled!” Nie Huaisang sighs dramatically, holding a hand to his head and draping himself over the arm of a couch, like a particularly flexible damsel.
After breaking the ice, he learns some of the basics about Wen Ning: he’s majoring in video game design (nerd!), has an intense older sister (relatable!), and he plays bass guitar when he’s not working on his schoolwork or playing games himself (hot!). The two of them wind up talking for hours, and it feels like no time is passing at all.
Unfortunately, Wen Ning’s eyes are drooping, and Nie Huaisang will have to let the boy go.
“You should probably get to your actual bed, since you’ve got the luxury of a bed to return to.” Nie Huaisang sighs. Wen Ning frowns at that, which sends a flurry of butterflies into a tizzy in Nie Huaisang’s stomach.
“My roommate is out of town for the weekend. Would you like to sleep in my bed?” Wen Ning asks. Nie Huaisang’s eyes fly wide — he didn’t expect things to move this quickly with the boy, though he can’t say he’s disappointed! He just wishes he hadn’t left his condoms and lube with Wei Wuxian. Noticing Nie Huaisang’s expression, Wen Ning seems mortified. “Wait! Not like that… I’m sorry!”
“What, are you just gonna sleep on the floor?” Nie Huaisang asks, cocking an eyebrow. “Or are we gonna share a Twin XL?”
“I have a futon.” Wen Ning mumbles, looking anywhere but at Nie Huaisang as his blush from earlier in the night returns to his face. “I would sleep on the futon.”
Nie Huaisang manages to stop himself from laughing; he doesn’t want to frighten off his sensitive new crush!
“Well, that definitely beats sleeping on this couch.” Nie Huaisang stands up, gathering his things. Wen Ning, the gentleman that he is, takes the items out of Nie Huaisang’s hands. “Lead the way!”
While Nie Huaisang certainly wouldn’t mind sharing Wen Ning’s bed — he seems very cuddly — he certainly plans to take a much more straightforward approach to starting a new relationship than Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji would. If there’s one thing he learned from them, it’s the importance of communicating one’s intentions from the start.
“Hey, Wen Ning?” He says as they cross the threshold into Wen Ning’s empty room. In the dark of the room, where everything is a little easier to say, he opens up more. “I just want you to know, I think you’re someone that I might fall in love with.”
Wen Ning doesn’t immediately respond, and while that makes Nie Huaisang’s stomach swoop, he’s not one to start catastrophizing like Wei Wuxian.
“I think you’re someone I might fall for, too.” Wen Ning says.
Well, Nie Huaisang certainly can’t ask for a better end to the day than that.