Thread by @sangchengist

#sangcheng abo au where they’re betrothed from a young age & meet for the first time at the cloud recesses

the jiang have managed to build connections with almost all major sects. jiang-furen herself married into the sect from the respectable meishan yu clan. jiang yanli was betrothed to the jin sect heir at one year, due to the utter and complete conviction of

yu ziyuan that the next child would ABSOLUTELY be a boy. by the time wei wuxian becomes an eye sore for her a few years later, jiang fengmian has already promised him to the second born lan son- it would’ve been unbefitting of his stand to try for an engagement to the heir.

(also, jiang fengmian secretly hopes that little lan huan will present as an alpha and provide heirs early on… perhaps allowing a-yings husband to come to lotus pier, instead of vice versa)

when jiang cheng is of an acceptable age for a betrothal (“no, ziyuan, barely one is usually not old enough in the eyes of society-“) only the wen and nie are left unconnected to the jiang. not for lack of trying, that is.

yu ziyuan had glanced at the second born wen son and declared him unfitting with an immediate scowl. there was another wen child close enough to the main bloodline- wen qing- but she’d presented as an alpha, unable to bear jiang cheng’s children. unacceptable to the long-standing

bloodline of the jiangs. her brother, wen ning, could’ve done, but he was much too timid and shy. somewhere deep in her heart, yu ziyuan remembered a headstrong and stubborn girl marrying an equally kind and weak boy. no, it wouldn’t do to punish her son the same way she was.

so instead, the jiang turn to the nie. a scarce bloodline, these days, only two sons with one father and no mothers. even back in jiang cheng’s childhood, people had expected a sudden death of sect leader nie. before this happens, the jiangs hurry to find an agreement:

should the second born nie son- nie huaisang- present as either a beta or an omega, he will be betrothed to jiang wanyin as the next jiang-furen. it is nie junrak who signs the agreement, but it is his son who sits on the throne by the time it comes into effect.

nie huaisang presents as an omega at age thirteen, pushed into his first heat by the passing of his father. nie mingjue tries with all his respectable might to abolish the agreement, but even he can’t outstubborn a contract damn near set in stone.

despite this, the jiang siblings have little to no contact to their promised partners. aside from a few stiff and terribly boring meetings with jin zixuan, no communication happens between wei ying and his lan zhan, not jiang cheng and nie huaisang.

(jiang fengmian and yu ziyuan had certainly tried to make matches that wouldn’t end as unhappily as their own. they had, however, failed to consider the reasons their marriage became as bitter as it was. their inability to communicate is inherited by their children)

jiang cheng and wei wuxian first get the opportunity to meet them at the cloud recesses, which has wei wuxian’s eyes sparkling weeks in advance. jiang cheng refuses to make any comments on his thoughts, claiming: “we are there to study rather than to- to- flirt around”

(the night before they leave for their trip, jiang cheng kneels in front of a makeshift altar, desperately clutching his hands together in prayer. he has heard much of the love between mates- of magical feelings and whirlwind romances, and he doesn’t believe in them.

still… still, if any god, any god at all, could make sure that nie huaisang likes him, just a little bit, and that they won’t hate each other to pieces he’d… he’d be more than satisfied.)

he tries desperately to pretend his heart isn’t beating out of his throat all throughout lan qirens welcome speech. his eyes are stubbornly fixed to the front, refusing to be distracted, but by the end of it he can’t remember a single word.

it isn’t until wei wuxian harshly pokes him between the ribs and screams more than whispers: “look, look over there! that’s him, that’s nie huaisang!”

the first look at nie huaisang punches the air clean out of his lungs. he’s- he’s really- well-

jiang cheng refuses to use the word beautiful. but he’s certainly, well, dainty, and very, his features are delicate and- and his body well proportioned- wei wuxian’s badly stifled snort jolts him out of his disordered thoughts.

“you know, i’ll think i’ll give you two some alone time while i find lan zhan, doesn’t that sound good?” before jiang cheng can respond that NO, that sounds like an AWFUL IDEA, wei wuxian has already yelled: “NIE HUAISANG!!! JIANG CHENG IS LOOKING FOR YOU!!”

his traitorous brother sprints off before lan qiren can make true on his truly awful glare and punish him in the first two hours of his stay at the cloud recesses. jiang cheng, however, stays rooted to his place as nie huaisang turns curiously and those amber eyes focus on him.

oh. /oh/. he’s really screwed isn’t he?

over the next few weeks, jiang cheng pushes any and all thoughts on nie huaisang’s uhm- physical attractiveness- to the back of his mind. it does jack shit for him.

see, the thing is nie huaisang is so- so- he’s funny. jiang cheng tries really hard to pretend he’s not, but nie huaisang’s wry comments during lan qirens classes have certainly gotten him into trouble at times. and he’s also kind of- resourceful and smart?

sure, yes, certainly, any lan would raise their eyebrows at that (as far as they can, anyway, stone faced as they are) but- really! nie huaisang staunchly refuses to use his brain for academic pursuits, but about half of his and wei wuxian’s pranks are planned by him.

jiang cheng, having grown up with wei wuxian, knows that’s a pretty impressive number. and nie huaisang knows so /much/- about birds, and the flowers at the cloud recesses, the best ways in and out, which patrols to bribe, the most hidden spots away from training grounds.

he reads people like they’re a particularly interesting book. it’s a game for him, to predict who’s secretly courting whom, who had a fight late at night, who’s going to cheat at the next test. he’s pretty much always right

jiang cheng can’t decide what he likes better- the disappointed whines and pouts when he’s wrong, or the self satisfied smirk behind a raised fan when he’s right, eyes twinkling with mirth.

mother would be horrified at his poor attempts at martial arts- if they can be called that, since nie huaisang makes it very clear how little he wants to practice in the first place. but- jiang cheng mentally puffs out his chest- he’s plenty strong enough for both of them, right?

what qualities /does/ a jiang-furen need, anyways? surely his mother is an exception to the norm- jiang cheng has seen other furen, and he thinks nie huaisang would fit in just right with them- mentally run circles around them, even.

one day, he thinks of nie huaisang at lotus pier, coming to his office to discuss something trivial- dinner plans or seating arrangements- in jiang purple and with a clarity bell at his waist. he immediately has to excuse himself from class for a few minutes.

so, yeah. jiang cheng has no issues whatsoever with his betrothed. it’s just, well… they rarely ever get to spend time together, so he doesn’t really know what nie huaisang thinks about /him/. and it’s eating at him, just a bit.

of course, even promised to each other, they’re an unmated alpha and omega. while wei wuxian gets banished to chaperone duties more often than not, his brother uses that chance to become nie huaisang’s best friend while jiang cheng awkwardly stands in the corner.

even when wei wuxian disappears to bother lan zhan with a wink that’s anything but subtle, jiang cheng can’t help the penetrating voice of his mother reminding him of obligation and duty, and he usually makes his excuses and quickly leaves. what if they’re caught and it

tarnishes nie huaisang reputation???? unacceptable. he won’t be the reason he gets scorned in public.

so for a while, he simply observes. he watches as nie huaisang and wei wuxian continue to parade around the cloud recesses, causing mischief and collecting punishments. he watches as nie huaisang, miraculously, becomes friends with jiang yanli, disregarding any and all

mean comments said about her in his presence. he watches as his siblings smile around him, accept him into the family, and bit by bit, jiang cheng feels himself falling.

jiang cheng never dares to do the first step. in the end, it’s nie huaisang who finds him.

he’s sitting by one of the rivers in the cloud recesses, trying to relax without wei wuxian for once, when he hears soft footsteps entering his little hiding place. his brows furrow before he even sees the intruder, and there’s a rebuke already on his tongue as he turns around

and oh- that’s. thats nie huaisang.
there’s a smile on his face that’s quickly hidden by one of his trusted fans as he asks: “mind if i join you?”

jiang cheng, for once, can’t find it in himself to listen to his mothers voice. wordlessly, he nods, and watches transfixed as nie huaisang elegantly sits down next to him. close to him like this, even the scent blockers can’t stop nie huaisang’s intoxicating scent from spreading

mulberry’s and earth- it’s a captivating combination. sweet, like the candies the cooks used to sneak him and wei wuxian, yet grounding. stable. strong. somehow, it’s perfect.

“you know, if i didn’t catch you staring at me quite so much, i would almost think you can’t stand me, jiang-xiong.” nie huaisang’s voice is teasing and jiang cheng immediately blushes all the way up to his ears, eyes snapping back to the river.

“it’s- i don’t dislike you.” he stammers. nie huaisang next to him laughs. “yeah, i guessed” he says. if jiang cheng just turned to him in this moment, he would see that his eyes are filled with fond amusement, no judgement. “then will you tell me why you’ve been avoiding me?”

jiang cheng quickly glances at his betrothed, a blush still high on his cheeks. “it’s not- it’s not proper. people would talk.” nie huaisang thoughtfully hums. “indeed, what scandal- sect heir jiang talking to the omega he’s supposed to marry.”

immediately, jiang cheng takes on a darker red hue. “it’s nonsensical, i know,” he grumbles, “but i don’t want to risk-“ “soiling my reputation?” nie huaisang sounds knowing, and jiang cheng turns to him with a startled look.

of course he’d know, he thinks, softly exasperated. nie huaisang knows /everything/ after all.
“i have no- uhm. i have no issues with you. but i hear what people sometimes say about jiejie, and well, others in our situation. i don’t want them to say the same about you”

nie huaisang grins. “ah, jiang-xiong. how hard you make it to be cross with you,” he sighs, fake put upon, “however could i fault you for such a perfectly reasonable explanation?”

“you… you don’t hate me?” nie huaisang blinks in confusion, before laughing at the question. “oh no, however could i!” he exclaims, and then adds with a wink: “quite the opposite, in fact.”

it seems the blush is not fated to leave jiang cheng’s cheeks for quite a while.

undeterred, nie huaisang continues: “i hear your concerns, and i understand them, but i would ask you to please disregard them. i’m not so fragile that a few rumors would hurt me. being robbed of the opportunity to get to know my promised is much worse, actually.”

jiang cheng is stunned into silence, staring at nie huaisang completely aghast. nie huaisang’s boyish grin becomes a much kinder, gentle smile before he says: “well, i’ll leave you to your thinking before we actually start a scandal. don’t be a stranger, jiang-xiong.”

just like that, he’s gone from the clearing, leaving a frozen jiang cheng behind. the heartbeat pounding out of his chest doesn’t calm for a while.

the next morning, nie huaisang finds a small white flower on his window sill. carefully, he presses it between the few sensible books he has, warmth spreading throughout his entire body.

if nie huaisang had expected that to be the last of it, he’d underestimated jiang cheng and his dedication. once ignited, a jiang’s passion can not be stopped and jiang cheng is much determined to be a better suitor than either his siblings betrotheds are.

the first official gift is a hair pin, delivered by wei wuxian with a wink and a teasing comment. it’s beautiful craftmanship, carved out of fine jade into the delicate shape of a lotus. nie huaisang immediately disregards his current hairpin for it.

(jiang cheng ignores the way his heart sings at the sight of nie huaisang wearing his gift. it’s primitive, to give into the urges of their animal side- yet it feels almost impossible to swallow down the pleased purr building in his chest)

the next day, it’s a twin set of jade bracelets, matching the hairpin given on day one. these, too, immediately find a new home on nie huaisang’s thin wrists. jiang cheng mentally pats himself on the back for the perfect fit, the flawless way they compliment nie huaisang’s bone

structure. he /doesn’t/ get distracted watching nie huaisang paint at the sides of the training fields, bracelets swinging around his hands, when he should be practicing his sword play. he DOESNT.

nie huaisang, it seems, refuses to be outdone. the next day, a handkerchief is delivered to jiang cheng by a stone faced nie disciple with a judgmental look in her eyes. his breath hitches looking at the gift-

it is hand embroidered, clearly. lotus ranks grow across the seams, joined by purple snakes winding around their stems. jiang cheng’s heart clenches. an acknowledgment of not only his fathers family, but also his mothers heritage-

he didn’t think nie huaisang would’ve noticed how serious he takes his connections to the meishan yu. clearly, he had.
the centerpiece, though, is a large swallow, clutching in its claws- jiang cheng’s eyes widen- a singular white flower.

he stares at the design, frozen, until a hypnotic scent reaches his nose. it takes a few seconds for it to connect.

a handkerchief given by nie huaisang, smelling of his scent, subtly yet so very /there/- jiang cheng jolts. had- had nie huaisang given him a scent-marked piece?

immediately, jiang cheng chokes on his spit.

nie huaisang had given him, jiang cheng, a scent marked handkerchief. had not only spent hours thinking of and making the design, but had further put the effort in to- to spread his scent across it like- like- like-

like only a mated pair would.

jiang cheng doesn’t remember thanking the nie disciple (he hopes he did), nor the walk back to his chambers. the next time he comes to is with the handkerchief tightly clutched to his chest, nie huaisang’s scent comfortingly spreading in his rooms

the gifts stop, for a few days. jiang cheng tries hard to come up with anything more personal, more honest than that handkerchief and finds that he can’t. going by the pleased glint in nie huaisang’s eyes everytime jiang cheng blushes, that was entirely the plan.

obviously, this only spurs jiang cheng on more.
(lan xichen, much like everyone else, watches this entire proceeding with a sparkle in his eyes. nie mingjue is going to be DELIGHTED to hear about this in his next letter.)

by the end of the week, jiang cheng has A Plan, but it’s going to take some time so in the interim, he settles for something different.
their ancestors had hunted animals to prove their worth. nie huaisang enjoys his animals alive much more than he does dead, thank you-

so on the beginning of the eight day, a baer’s pochard sits on his windowsill in a beautiful cage. even nie huaisang can’t pretend to have foreseen that development. he stares, wide eyed, at the bird (believed to be completely gone form this part of the mountain, jiang-xiong HOW)

for once, it is jiang cheng’s turn to look smug.
all that pride disappears the second jiang yanli leaves his side to walk across the courtyard to deliver his last planned gift.

he watches with rapt attention as nie huaisang takes the handcrafted wooden box, a few disciples beside him dutifully ah-ing and oh-ing. nie huaisang glances at him once, curious, before opening it and immediately halting in his movements.

he gestures for a nie disciple to take the box, never taking his eyes off the contents, and carefully, so carefully, extracts the gift inside.

it is a folding fan- crafted much like the ones nie huaisang always carries around.

jiang cheng had chosen the silk himself- had clumsily fixed it into its form, had chosen colors and brushes along with his jiejie and carefully transferred the design onto it.

the front showcases the unclean realm- he had enlisted the help of a few nie’s, as well as lan xichen. he didn’t want a single stroke to be out of place, not when drawing the home of his- nie huaisang. it is the only homage to the nie sect he can offer and a respectable motive.

the back, though- it’s a bit more personal.

the scenery of lotus pier had come to him much easier, yet so much harder at the same time. nie huaisang had never been to lotus pier- jiang cheng wanted him to see it the way he sees it, full of love and hope for its future.

he’d drawn the sprawling piers, the flowering lotus, the majestic yet simple main building of the sect. and- and in a corner showcasing his mothers favorite pavilion he’d. he’d drawn two figures: one in purple, and one in olive green.

nie huaisang’s head snaps towards him, an inscrutable expression on his face. he gently, reverently, places the fan back into its case and then- he’s walking towards jiang cheng. jiang cheng chances a panicked glance at his jiejie, who only nods encouragingly, and in

his desperation even turns to wei wuxian, who’s clearly laughing at his demise, before coming back to look at nie huaisang. he looks impeccably put together and elegant, as always, jiang cheng thinks despairingly. yet there’s something new in the air about him-

something good, hopefully.

five steps in front of jiang cheng, nie huaisang comes to a halt.
“you drew me a fan” he says. it’s not a question.

jiang cheng swallows and nods. he hesitates before he adds on: “i thought- i hoped you might like it.”

“you drew the unclean realm.” “yes” “and you drew-“ “-lotus pier,” jiang cheng hastens to complete the sentence, unable to look into nie huaisang’s eyes, “yes.”

a pause. then, much softer and quieter: “and you drew us.”

finally, jiang cheng dares to look up. nie huaisang’s amber eyes (the eyes he’d fallen in love with almost immediately, if he’s honest) are shiny with unshead tears, an uncharacteristically hesitant smile on his lips.

again, jiang cheng nods. “i drew us.” he agrees, and steps another step closer. somehow he feels like whatever comes next isn’t meant for anyone else’s ears. nie huaisang, too, shuffles another step closer.

“jiang-xiong-“ “you should call me jiang cheng.” jiang cheng presses out, all barriers down. nie huaisang pauses and then giggles. “alright,” he remedies, “jiang cheng. i think… i think it is time you drafted a letter to your parents.”

jiang cheng blinks at him, uncomprehending for a few seconds. then, blaring alarm systems go off in his head.

“oh, i- you mean- what- are you sure about that-“ he stutters, completely out of his depth. nie huaisang doesn’t dignify it with a response. he secretly clutches jiang cheng’s hand and squeezes it, once, twice, before letting go. the gesture is strangely comforting.

then, he turns around and walks away,jiang cheng watching on in quiet amazement. before hes entirely out of earshot, nie huaisang says: “oh, and by the way- you should try writing to da-ge as well!” unaware (or uncaring) of the inner turmoil he’s just caused in his husband-to-be.

(somewhere in yunmeng, jiang fengmian receives three letters from all three of his children. he makes the mistake of opening wei ying’s first, and immediately hastens to open jiang cheng’s instead. what’s this about a marriage and bonding ceremony?!

yu ziyuan bursts into his office with near identical letters in her hands. “what’s this?” she bites, “is this your doing? did you push him into this?!” her husband slowly shakes his head, clearly in as much disbelief as she is. yu ziyuan frowns and turns her eyes back to

the letter from jiang cheng. “huh,” she says. “guess we didn’t mess him up as badly as i thought.” there’s silence, until jiang fengmian suddenly bursts into laughter and yu ziyuan can’t help but let out a similarly disbelieving chuckle. well well well… who would’ve thought.

somewhere in qinghe, nie mingjue, too, receives three letters: one from lan xichen (to be put away for later, it will be a relaxing read), one from nie huaisang (to be read just before xichen’s, it will no doubt make his blood boil or his body tense) and one-

one from jiang wanyin. huh. immediately, he forgets about the other two and tears into this letter first, eyes going wider with each line he reads. at the end of it, he puts the paper down and stares into the distance. then-

“NIE ZONGHUI!!!!! we are LEAVING for gusu- NOW!!!!”)

seven months later, jiang cheng presents nie huaisang with the very last courting gift on their
wedding night. it's a clarity bell-
hand carven from the finest silver,
matching the designs on jiang
cheng's own. the craftsmanship is much less clumsy than the drawing

on that first fan was, nie huaisang notes with secret satisfaction. he moves to fix it on his robes when jiang cheng’s hand over his stops him. he turns a questioning eye at his husband and immediately notes the fire red blush on his cheeks.

“don’t- hm. don’t put it on yet,” his husband, his MATE (isn’t that so crazy?!) mumbles. when nie huaisang cocks his head in confusion, jiang cheng says: “i don’t want it to lay on the floor” with a meaningful (and desperate) glance at the bed.

oh. /ohhhh/. nie huaisang’s face takes on that tantalizing grin jiang cheng can never resist against as he purrs: “oh? does my husband have any special plans for the night?”

the sound of his happy laughter is dampened by a pillow that hits him square in the face. not that it matters- the residents of yunmeng will hear much of it in the years to come. for now, jiang cheng can still try to pretend it doesn’t make love spark in his heart.

[the end]

thank you so much to everyone who got this far and endured all the stupid typos and grammar mistakes at the times i lost against my brain or my auto correct!!! here’s the link to the top of the thread~

https://twitter.com/sangchengist/status/1554198965662502917

realizing this did not only have no smut, there wasn’t even a kiss. this was NOT INTENDED i had a much more nsfw outline in head at first but [gumball crying video] THEYRE SO SOFT