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fandomweekly2021-09-13 05:25 pm
curiosity) wrote in fandomweekly2021-09-13 05:25 pm
Entry tags:
[#108] Flames (MDZS)
.
Theme Prompt: #108 - After Midnight
Title: Flames
Fandom: MDZS
Rating/Warnings: G / Jiang Cheng is 19. Nie Mingjue is 24. They kiss.
Bonus: Yes!
Word Count: 1,000
Summary: It's the best time of year to watch the meteor shower but their brothers have boyfriends to watch with. So they watch together.
Notes: This uses the 'flames' prompt from my MDZS Bingo card and the "Meteor Shower / Shooting Stars" square on my Platonic Love Fest card fromallbingo.
Jiang Cheng lay beside Nie Mingjue on the dusty mattress. They were sprawled in the bed of the older man’s battered pick-up truck, star-gazing in the Nie farm’s back pasture. Jiang Cheng hadn’t known this spot was so perfect for sky watching. They had a panorama view from this hill. He was pretty sure he was in heaven.
Nie Mingjue’s body was a furnace generating a wall of heat that washed over his skin and left him tingling. Peeper frogs peeped from the natural spring at the bottom of the hill. Crickets chirped in the chest-high grass all around them. Droning cicadas from the tree lines bordering the field completed the serenade.
And they could stare up at a sky unobstructed by light pollution from the tiny town now well behind them. The only other light came from the fireflies lazily flickering as they rode the hay scented air. And the meteor shower.
“There!” Nie Mingjue raised a finger, pointing at a sudden, vivid streak of light. “First point to me,” he tacked on, gloating just a bit.
Jiang Cheng pretended to be annoyed. “Hah! Just you wait and see. I’ll catch up. It’s after midnight by now and your old-man eyes will get tired soon!”
Nie Mingjue’s deep, rumbling laugh shook the truck and startled the singing insects into silence. He made a show of looking at his watch, the soft glow illuminating the time.
“Nope,” he tucked his hands behind his head in smug satisfaction. “It’s only just now ten-thirty. I’ll be so far ahead by the time these ‘old-man eyes’ get tired, you’ll never catch up!”
“Then I guess we’ll just have to stay out here all night,” Jiang Cheng retorted, wishing he dared poke the bigger man in the side as punishment for his smugness. “I’ll catch up when you’re snoozing away.”
“That suits me fine,” Nie Mingjue grinned, taking his eyes off the sky just long enough to melt Jiang Cheng’s heart with his dimples. “This is pretty much my idea of heaven.”
Jiang Cheng’s heart skipped a beat at hearing his same thought from Nie Mingjue’s lips. But another star streaked across the sky and he was pointing at it and calling dibs before he could do anything crazy like confess his undying love.
Meteors fell fast after that, dazzling spark after dazzling spark scrawling a story against the velvety black darkness before winking out. Jiang Cheng’s vision was streaked with glowing afterimages and he was laughing so hard as he competed with Nie Mingjue to point out the best stars first that he could barely breathe.
His laughter had dissolved into helpless chuckles by the time the meteor shower started slowing down nearly two hours later. Jiang Cheng was leaning heavily on Nie Mingjue in a futile attempt to pin the big man’s hands so Jiang Cheng could point first. He was pretty sure he’d lost a few points due to the impromptu wrestling match but he regretted nothing.
“Competitive,” Nie Mingjue observed, twisting one hand free, effortlessly, and patting Jiang Cheng’s head. “This is way more fun that watching with Huaisang. He always starts whining about bugs by now.”
Jiang Cheng scoffed. “Wei Wuxian always gets bored and either starts a fight or wanders off. He thinks this is too boring.”
“Bleh, that kid,” Nie Mingjue muttered. “He’s a good guy, don’t get me wrong. I know how tight all three of you Jiangs are. But he’s a lot to take sometimes. I can see why you wouldn’t want to watch the meteor shower with him.”
“He watched it last night,” Jiang Cheng muttered. “And he’s out again tonight. With Lan Wangji.”
“Ouch. Budding romance beat out brotherhood. That’s rough.” Nie Mingjue sounded genuinely sympathetic.
Jiang Cheng was pretty sure he wasn’t being mocked and it was nice that Nie Mingjue understood. He relaxed just a little.
“Huaisang is out tonight, watching with that Mo kid from down the lane,” Nie Mingjue continued, wiggling a bit to get comfortable. His arm came around Jiang Cheng’s shoulders. “I was pretty bummed about it until you said you wanted to watch the meteor shower, too. I love this part of Summer.”
Jiang Cheng was burning alive everywhere Nie Mingjue was touching him but he wouldn’t have moved to save his soul.
“Me too,” he admitted, settling in. “When we were really little, Jiejie would sneak us into a boat and row us to the middle of the lake. It’s really different, on the water. She told us it was our hide-out from the world. It was really nice.”
“It sounds really nice,” Nie Mingjue replied, sounding a touch envious. “I want to watch from the water. I bet it looks cool, seeing the sky mirrored on the water.”
“It’s like another world,” Jiang Cheng said dreamily, remembering how magical and safe he’d felt.
“I bet it’s a far cry from being badgered about colleges and careers,” Nie Mingjue agreed. “Huaisang shrivels up if I even say a word starting in ‘co’.”
“True,” Jiang Cheng winced, recalling his parents’ reaction to his desire to go to a local college so he could live at home and work the farm. It was all he wanted but both of his parents were disappointed. He wondered if Nie Mingjue had any tips. The older man was twenty-four to Jiang Cheng’s nineteen and no one yelled at him about missing out on life every day.
“We should do that tomorrow, then,” Nie Mingjue decided. “Fair’s fair. We watched from the Nie brothers’ spot. Next we watch from the Jiang siblings’ spot. Then we’ll see which is better.”
“Not better,” Jiang Cheng protested, sitting up as he turned his mind back to the present conversation.
He sat against the tirewell so he was facing Nie Mingjue but leaned back and tilted his head to stare up at the gem-dusted sky. “Not better, just different. This has been the best night I’ve had all year. Tomorrow isn’t going to change that.”
Nie Mingjue huffed a laugh. “You don’t have to say that, Jiang Cheng. I know it can’t be fun hanging out with a geezer like me.”
Jiang Cheng choked on his giggles, surprising himself by how funny ge found that. “I’m not really known for lying to make people feel better about themselves, Mingjue-ge. Wei Wuxian is the happy, lovable kid. I’m the bitter, unlovable one, remember?”
A startled silence from the other man. Jiang Cheng smirked at the stars an they winked at him, knowing the truth as well as he, that very few people wanted to be around him for any reason at all precisely because he didn’t lie and flatter and kiss peoples’ asses. There was a reason Nie Huaisang was his only real friend.
“That isn’t true,” Nie Mingjue said at last. “That isn’t true at all.”
Jiang Cheng looked at him, blinking. “What isn’t true?”
“You aren’t bitter and unlovable,” Nie Mingjue declared. He sat up too, putting his back to the opposite wheelwell.
Their knees overlapped and Nie Mingjue shuffled closer, leaning forward. He put a hand on Jiang Cheng’s shoulder as he stared intently in the dim light. “Jiang Cheng, you aren’t unlovable.”
“Okay, Mingjue-ge,” Jiang Cheng replied uncertainly. He was confused. Where was this conviction coming from. “It’s okay. I get it. I believe you.”
Nie Mingjue swore softly. “No you don’t get it at all.”
And then he leaned forward just that last bit farther, kissing Jiang Cheng gently on the lips.
Theme Prompt: #108 - After Midnight
Title: Flames
Fandom: MDZS
Rating/Warnings: G / Jiang Cheng is 19. Nie Mingjue is 24. They kiss.
Bonus: Yes!
Word Count: 1,000
Summary: It's the best time of year to watch the meteor shower but their brothers have boyfriends to watch with. So they watch together.
Notes: This uses the 'flames' prompt from my MDZS Bingo card and the "Meteor Shower / Shooting Stars" square on my Platonic Love Fest card from
allbingo. Jiang Cheng lay beside Nie Mingjue on the dusty mattress. They were sprawled in the bed of the older man’s battered pick-up truck, star-gazing in the Nie farm’s back pasture. Jiang Cheng hadn’t known this spot was so perfect for sky watching. They had a panorama view from this hill. He was pretty sure he was in heaven.
Nie Mingjue’s body was a furnace generating a wall of heat that washed over his skin and left him tingling. Peeper frogs peeped from the natural spring at the bottom of the hill. Crickets chirped in the chest-high grass all around them. Droning cicadas from the tree lines bordering the field completed the serenade.
And they could stare up at a sky unobstructed by light pollution from the tiny town now well behind them. The only other light came from the fireflies lazily flickering as they rode the hay scented air. And the meteor shower.
“There!” Nie Mingjue raised a finger, pointing at a sudden, vivid streak of light. “First point to me,” he tacked on, gloating just a bit.
Jiang Cheng pretended to be annoyed. “Hah! Just you wait and see. I’ll catch up. It’s after midnight by now and your old-man eyes will get tired soon!”
Nie Mingjue’s deep, rumbling laugh shook the truck and startled the singing insects into silence. He made a show of looking at his watch, the soft glow illuminating the time.
“Nope,” he tucked his hands behind his head in smug satisfaction. “It’s only just now ten-thirty. I’ll be so far ahead by the time these ‘old-man eyes’ get tired, you’ll never catch up!”
“Then I guess we’ll just have to stay out here all night,” Jiang Cheng retorted, wishing he dared poke the bigger man in the side as punishment for his smugness. “I’ll catch up when you’re snoozing away.”
“That suits me fine,” Nie Mingjue grinned, taking his eyes off the sky just long enough to melt Jiang Cheng’s heart with his dimples. “This is pretty much my idea of heaven.”
Jiang Cheng’s heart skipped a beat at hearing his same thought from Nie Mingjue’s lips. But another star streaked across the sky and he was pointing at it and calling dibs before he could do anything crazy like confess his undying love.
Meteors fell fast after that, dazzling spark after dazzling spark scrawling a story against the velvety black darkness before winking out. Jiang Cheng’s vision was streaked with glowing afterimages and he was laughing so hard as he competed with Nie Mingjue to point out the best stars first that he could barely breathe.
His laughter had dissolved into helpless chuckles by the time the meteor shower started slowing down nearly two hours later. Jiang Cheng was leaning heavily on Nie Mingjue in a futile attempt to pin the big man’s hands so Jiang Cheng could point first. He was pretty sure he’d lost a few points due to the impromptu wrestling match but he regretted nothing.
“Competitive,” Nie Mingjue observed, twisting one hand free, effortlessly, and patting Jiang Cheng’s head. “This is way more fun that watching with Huaisang. He always starts whining about bugs by now.”
Jiang Cheng scoffed. “Wei Wuxian always gets bored and either starts a fight or wanders off. He thinks this is too boring.”
“Bleh, that kid,” Nie Mingjue muttered. “He’s a good guy, don’t get me wrong. I know how tight all three of you Jiangs are. But he’s a lot to take sometimes. I can see why you wouldn’t want to watch the meteor shower with him.”
“He watched it last night,” Jiang Cheng muttered. “And he’s out again tonight. With Lan Wangji.”
“Ouch. Budding romance beat out brotherhood. That’s rough.” Nie Mingjue sounded genuinely sympathetic.
Jiang Cheng was pretty sure he wasn’t being mocked and it was nice that Nie Mingjue understood. He relaxed just a little.
“Huaisang is out tonight, watching with that Mo kid from down the lane,” Nie Mingjue continued, wiggling a bit to get comfortable. His arm came around Jiang Cheng’s shoulders. “I was pretty bummed about it until you said you wanted to watch the meteor shower, too. I love this part of Summer.”
Jiang Cheng was burning alive everywhere Nie Mingjue was touching him but he wouldn’t have moved to save his soul.
“Me too,” he admitted, settling in. “When we were really little, Jiejie would sneak us into a boat and row us to the middle of the lake. It’s really different, on the water. She told us it was our hide-out from the world. It was really nice.”
“It sounds really nice,” Nie Mingjue replied, sounding a touch envious. “I want to watch from the water. I bet it looks cool, seeing the sky mirrored on the water.”
“It’s like another world,” Jiang Cheng said dreamily, remembering how magical and safe he’d felt.
“I bet it’s a far cry from being badgered about colleges and careers,” Nie Mingjue agreed. “Huaisang shrivels up if I even say a word starting in ‘co’.”
“True,” Jiang Cheng winced, recalling his parents’ reaction to his desire to go to a local college so he could live at home and work the farm. It was all he wanted but both of his parents were disappointed. He wondered if Nie Mingjue had any tips. The older man was twenty-four to Jiang Cheng’s nineteen and no one yelled at him about missing out on life every day.
“We should do that tomorrow, then,” Nie Mingjue decided. “Fair’s fair. We watched from the Nie brothers’ spot. Next we watch from the Jiang siblings’ spot. Then we’ll see which is better.”
“Not better,” Jiang Cheng protested, sitting up as he turned his mind back to the present conversation.
He sat against the tirewell so he was facing Nie Mingjue but leaned back and tilted his head to stare up at the gem-dusted sky. “Not better, just different. This has been the best night I’ve had all year. Tomorrow isn’t going to change that.”
Nie Mingjue huffed a laugh. “You don’t have to say that, Jiang Cheng. I know it can’t be fun hanging out with a geezer like me.”
Jiang Cheng choked on his giggles, surprising himself by how funny ge found that. “I’m not really known for lying to make people feel better about themselves, Mingjue-ge. Wei Wuxian is the happy, lovable kid. I’m the bitter, unlovable one, remember?”
A startled silence from the other man. Jiang Cheng smirked at the stars an they winked at him, knowing the truth as well as he, that very few people wanted to be around him for any reason at all precisely because he didn’t lie and flatter and kiss peoples’ asses. There was a reason Nie Huaisang was his only real friend.
“That isn’t true,” Nie Mingjue said at last. “That isn’t true at all.”
Jiang Cheng looked at him, blinking. “What isn’t true?”
“You aren’t bitter and unlovable,” Nie Mingjue declared. He sat up too, putting his back to the opposite wheelwell.
Their knees overlapped and Nie Mingjue shuffled closer, leaning forward. He put a hand on Jiang Cheng’s shoulder as he stared intently in the dim light. “Jiang Cheng, you aren’t unlovable.”
“Okay, Mingjue-ge,” Jiang Cheng replied uncertainly. He was confused. Where was this conviction coming from. “It’s okay. I get it. I believe you.”
Nie Mingjue swore softly. “No you don’t get it at all.”
And then he leaned forward just that last bit farther, kissing Jiang Cheng gently on the lips.
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