#also JC is secretly delighted at being proposed to

[robininthelabyrinth]

if you still want prompts, Nie Mingjue/Jiang Cheng?

Jiang Cheng was starting to think Nie Mingjue was getting bored without a war.

He wasn’t referring to the fights between the Nie sect and the Jin sect – those were to be expected, given the way the Jin sect was swanning around acting as if they’d won the war single-handedly, and in his heart Jiang Cheng rather strongly supported the Nie sect’s position on most things, though of course his shijie’s recent marriage meant he had to be delicate about expressing that – but rather how often the man seemed to end up at the Lotus Pier, helping with the rebuilding.

Not that he wasn’t helpful. He was! It was good to have someone who remembered how the Lotus Pier was before – Jiang Cheng’s own memories often got confused sometimes, dream and wish and sometimes (embarrassingly) height when it came to places that he hadn’t visited since he was a child. Nie Mingjue was seven years older and had visited several times as a distinguished guest; he had a surprisingly good memory and an even more surprising ability to put those memories down into halfway decent sketches.

He also had opinions on things, which Jiang Cheng initially refused – he wanted his old home back – but in the end even he had to admit that that one post that both his parents had complained about endlessly because everyone bumped into but which they had never bothered to rework could probably stand not to be included. And then, well, maybe a few other things, too.

Jiang Cheng had thought it would be Wei Wuxian and Jiang Yanli at his side during this process, squabbling over decisions to change things and remembering old memories together, but – well.

They weren’t here, were they?

Not that it made any more sense that Nie Mingjue was. He was a Sect Leader! He had responsibilities, duties, things to be doing…

“I’m making Huaisang do it,” Nie Mingjue said, when asked. “It’s good for him.”

“Did he do something to piss you off?” Jiang Cheng asked, suspicious. “He’s never going to get any good with his saber, I’m telling you that now.”

Nie Mingjue grunted, which was tantamount to admitting it.

“But why are you here?” Jiang Cheng persisted. “You could be visiting – well, anyone else. You have two sworn brothers!”

“At the Lan sect, and the Jin sect,” Nie Mingjue said, nodding.

“Yes. Other places.”

“Other sects,” Nie Mingjue corrected. “Three out of the Four Great Sects have an alliance, however informal, and that leaves your Jiang sect isolated politically.”

Jiang Cheng winced, both because it was true and because he shouldn’t have had to have someone point that out to him. Nie Mingjue wasn’t wrong that he should be spending as much if not more time building alliances as he did building his home – it was only that he was very bad at people, and diplomacy, and he didn’t like to do things he was bad at, and there was so much to do that it was easy to postpone…

After that, though, he scowled and crossed his arms defensively. “What’s your point? Anyway, it’s not as if you get along all that well with the Jin sect – with whom we also have an alliance, and a stronger one than yours. My sister is married to their heir; your sworn brother is only –”

“Don’t say it.”

Jiang Cheng didn’t say it, but they both knew it was there.

There was quiet for a moment, Nie Mingjue obviously searching for words to judge from the frown on his lips.

“You’ve seen how the Jin sect is acting,” he finally said.

“As if we shot down the sun just to make space in the heavens for them.”

“Yes, exactly. Only unlike Wen Ruohan, who never cared much for other sects, they have established ties to all Four Great Sects.”

All four, Jiang Cheng thought, and abruptly realized the problem. The Nie sect was fighting over matters of principle with the Jin sect, issues like the question of whether there should be a Chief Cultivator and if so who it should be, and his sister’s marriage to man she liked had inadvertently put the Jin sect one up – they would almost certainly start pressing him through her, now that she lived there, and he knew already that he wouldn’t be skillful enough to find a way out of it.

If the Jin sect believed they had the Jiang sect firmly on board, and with the Lans lukewarm and split equally between the two…the Nie sect would have trouble stopping them from doing as they pleased, and that would only make their arrogance so much worse.

Hard as it was to believe that was even possible.

“I think you generally agree with me in most matters,” Nie Mingjue continued.

“I do,” Jiang Cheng conceded. He didn’t mention that he also liked the man himself much more – Jin Guangshan was a nasty creature, tongue full of implications and innuendo, and Jiang Cheng always felt like he was losing something any time he was near him for too long. “How do you propose to balance the scales?”

Nie Mingjue looked pleased at how quickly Jiang Cheng had picked up on things (well, quickly now that they were talking about it, anyway). “A personal alliance will always trump a political one; that’s why your sister’s marriage when through so quickly, even putting aside the personal affection between them. If we want to even the odds, or even turn them in our favor, we should form one of those as well. A stronger one than theirs.”

Jiang Cheng snorted. “How would that work? Jin Zixuan is the Jin sect heir and married my elder, and only, sister. The only way to make a stronger tie than that would be if I married a direct disciple of your Nie sect – and no matter what he looks like in a dress, I’m not marrying Nie Huaisang.”

“If I was proposing Huaisang,” Nie Mingjue said, “I wouldn’t be here in person.”

What did that mean?

Wait.

What?

No.

“…really?” Jiang Cheng squeaked.

“If you’re willing to consider it,” Nie Mingjue said with a shrug. “I’m expected to die young; it wouldn’t be too late for you to marry a woman and have children then, if you wish to keep to your parents’ tradition of keeping only a single wife – though if you preferred to simply keep a concubine to continue your line, I’d hardly object.”

Jiang Cheng felt the distinct need to sit down.

“Naturally, any such alliance would bring significant benefits to both our sects.”

Jiang Cheng would have to be crazy to consider this.

“Let’s go inside and talk over exactly what benefits,” Jiang Cheng said, and Nie Mingjue actually smiled, however faintly – it made him seem significantly less intimidating, and much younger. “And also how you’re going to keep Wei Wuxian from trying to strangle you for seducing his shidi, regardless of the fact that he’s been formally estranged from the Jiang Sect.”

That got a huff of amusement.

Had Jiang Cheng finally found someone who found him funny?

Wei Wuxian had told him long ago to marry whoever that was, no matter what the benefits or lack thereof; it was his way of implying that finding such a person would be like finding a needle in the ocean.

…somehow, Jiang Cheng didn’t think Wei Wuxian was going to see it as being as funny as he did.

[zemoszi]

WWX the romantic is going to flip out at JC the practical, also JC is secretly delighted at being proposed to, someone wants him, wants HIM, there are good sound logical reasons for it, reasons that make HIM a good option, and they actually picked him, rather than picking the weird other option that for some reason everyone always likes better despite being objectively worse than him, this has never happened before in his life (tags via robininthelabyrinth)

if you still want prompts, Nie Mingjue/Jiang Cheng?

Jiang Cheng was starting to think Nie Mingjue was getting bored without a war.

He wasn’t referring to the fights between the Nie sect and the Jin sect – those were to be expected, given the way the Jin sect was swanning around acting as if they’d won the war single-handedly, and in his heart Jiang Cheng rather strongly supported the Nie sect’s position on most things, though of course his shijie’s recent marriage meant he had to be delicate about expressing that – but rather how often the man seemed to end up at the Lotus Pier, helping with the rebuilding.

Not that he wasn’t helpful. He was! It was good to have someone who remembered how the Lotus Pier was before – Jiang Cheng’s own memories often got confused sometimes, dream and wish and sometimes (embarrassingly) height when it came to places that he hadn’t visited since he was a child. Nie Mingjue was seven years older and had visited several times as a distinguished guest; he had a surprisingly good memory and an even more surprising ability to put those memories down into halfway decent sketches.

He also had opinions on things, which Jiang Cheng initially refused – he wanted his old home back – but in the end even he had to admit that that one post that both his parents had complained about endlessly because everyone bumped into but which they had never bothered to rework could probably stand not to be included. And then, well, maybe a few other things, too.

Jiang Cheng had thought it would be Wei Wuxian and Jiang Yanli at his side during this process, squabbling over decisions to change things and remembering old memories together, but – well.

They weren’t here, were they?

Not that it made any more sense that Nie Mingjue was. He was a Sect Leader! He had responsibilities, duties, things to be doing…

“I’m making Huaisang do it,” Nie Mingjue said, when asked. “It’s good for him.”

“Did he do something to piss you off?” Jiang Cheng asked, suspicious. “He’s never going to get any good with his saber, I’m telling you that now.”

Nie Mingjue grunted, which was tantamount to admitting it.

“But why are you here?” Jiang Cheng persisted. “You could be visiting – well, anyone else. You have two sworn brothers!”

“At the Lan sect, and the Jin sect,” Nie Mingjue said, nodding.

“Yes. Other places.”

“Other sects,” Nie Mingjue corrected. “Three out of the Four Great Sects have an alliance, however informal, and that leaves your Jiang sect isolated politically.”

Jiang Cheng winced, both because it was true and because he shouldn’t have had to have someone point that out to him. Nie Mingjue wasn’t wrong that he should be spending as much if not more time building alliances as he did building his home – it was only that he was very bad at people, and diplomacy, and he didn’t like to do things he was bad at, and there was so much to do that it was easy to postpone…

After that, though, he scowled and crossed his arms defensively. “What’s your point? Anyway, it’s not as if you get along all that well with the Jin sect – with whom we also have an alliance, and a stronger one than yours. My sister is married to their heir; your sworn brother is only –”

“Don’t say it.”

Jiang Cheng didn’t say it, but they both knew it was there.

There was quiet for a moment, Nie Mingjue obviously searching for words to judge from the frown on his lips.

“You’ve seen how the Jin sect is acting,” he finally said.

“As if we shot down the sun just to make space in the heavens for them.”

“Yes, exactly. Only unlike Wen Ruohan, who never cared much for other sects, they have established ties to all Four Great Sects.”

All four, Jiang Cheng thought, and abruptly realized the problem. The Nie sect was fighting over matters of principle with the Jin sect, issues like the question of whether there should be a Chief Cultivator and if so who it should be, and his sister’s marriage to man she liked had inadvertently put the Jin sect one up – they would almost certainly start pressing him through her, now that she lived there, and he knew already that he wouldn’t be skillful enough to find a way out of it.

If the Jin sect believed they had the Jiang sect firmly on board, and with the Lans lukewarm and split equally between the two…the Nie sect would have trouble stopping them from doing as they pleased, and that would only make their arrogance so much worse.

Hard as it was to believe that was even possible.

“I think you generally agree with me in most matters,” Nie Mingjue continued.

“I do,” Jiang Cheng conceded. He didn’t mention that he also liked the man himself much more – Jin Guangshan was a nasty creature, tongue full of implications and innuendo, and Jiang Cheng always felt like he was losing something any time he was near him for too long. “How do you propose to balance the scales?”

Nie Mingjue looked pleased at how quickly Jiang Cheng had picked up on things (well, quickly now that they were talking about it, anyway). “A personal alliance will always trump a political one; that’s why your sister’s marriage when through so quickly, even putting aside the personal affection between them. If we want to even the odds, or even turn them in our favor, we should form one of those as well. A stronger one than theirs.”

Jiang Cheng snorted. “How would that work? Jin Zixuan is the Jin sect heir and married my elder, and only, sister. The only way to make a stronger tie than that would be if I married a direct disciple of your Nie sect – and no matter what he looks like in a dress, I’m not marrying Nie Huaisang.”

“If I was proposing Huaisang,” Nie Mingjue said, “I wouldn’t be here in person.”

What did that mean?

Wait.

What?

No.

“…really?” Jiang Cheng squeaked.

“If you’re willing to consider it,” Nie Mingjue said with a shrug. “I’m expected to die young; it wouldn’t be too late for you to marry a woman and have children then, if you wish to keep to your parents’ tradition of keeping only a single wife – though if you preferred to simply keep a concubine to continue your line, I’d hardly object.”

Jiang Cheng felt the distinct need to sit down.

“Naturally, any such alliance would bring significant benefits to both our sects.”

Jiang Cheng would have to be crazy to consider this.

“Let’s go inside and talk over exactly what benefits,” Jiang Cheng said, and Nie Mingjue actually smiled, however faintly – it made him seem significantly less intimidating, and much younger. “And also how you’re going to keep Wei Wuxian from trying to strangle you for seducing his shidi, regardless of the fact that he’s been formally estranged from the Jiang Sect.”

That got a huff of amusement.

Had Jiang Cheng finally found someone who found him funny?

Wei Wuxian had told him long ago to marry whoever that was, no matter what the benefits or lack thereof; it was his way of implying that finding such a person would be like finding a needle in the ocean.

…somehow, Jiang Cheng didn’t think Wei Wuxian was going to see it as being as funny as he did.