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the morning sun that filters in through the open window brings with it a crisp breeze that has jiang cheng burrowing further into the thick duvet, tucking it over his ears until only his face peeks out. nie mingjue’s scent lingers, though the man himself is no longer in bed, and jiang cheng presses his nose to the top of his blanket to inhale their mixed scents; of rain and fresh lotus flowers, lightning and damp earth.
jiang cheng closes his eyes and imagines himself being enveloped by a rain cloud, and drifts. aimlessly, heedless of what the day will become.
nie mingjue finds him like that an hour later, freshly showered and aching pleasantly from his morning workout. it is not often that jiang cheng allows himself to sleep in, and the tiny upturn of his lips and relaxed brows are enough to draw nie mingjue in. he looks so warm, a pleasant contrast from the biting cold that has settled over the unclean realm.
nie mingjue slips into bed behind jiang cheng and presses in until the chill of his bare chest meets the fire that radiates from jiang cheng’s skin. jiang cheng tries to shy away from the sudden cold that has intruded on his cocoon with an indignant whine.
“stop, ‘s freezing,” nie mingjue has no idea where jiang cheng’s feet disappear to when he prods them with his cold toes, but his boyfriend has curled as far into himself as possible, trying desperately to protect himself from the surprise attack. nie mingjue has half a mind to slide his hands around and up jiang cheng’s bare stomach, just to feel his skin prickle and his muscles tense. instead, he presses his mouth to the back of jiang cheng’s neck and is rewarded with a content sigh.
they lie like that for a few moments, jiang cheng slipping back into the limbo between sleep and wakefulness, and nie mingjue basking in his lover’s warmth as his body slowly heats up. even as autumn leaves fall away and winter settles into the world, birds perch on the trees outside their bedroom window to serenade one another as though their song will bring spring back sooner. nie mingjue loves the cold, has always enjoyed the way the winds feel on his heated skin. yet, here and now, with jiang cheng’s bed-warmed body turning him to molten lava, nie mingjue thinks he could come to prefer the heat.
it isn’t long before nie mingjue’s lips find jiang cheng’s shoulder, nudging the duvet away with his chin to expose skin to the chilly air, only to chase away the goosebumps with his lips. he loves seeing the muscles there tense and ripple with each drag of stubble. the long, deep sound his ministrations draw out of jiang cheng remind him far too much of a disgruntled kitten, and nie mingjue huffs a laugh onto the kiss-dampened skin.
“a-jue, lemme sleep,” jiang cheng pushes his face further into his pillow, tucks his knees further into his chest and curls protective fingers into the edge of the comforter. his body is tense, an animal ready to flee or fight back if nie mingjue were to attack, and so he does what any rational human would do, and rakes his teeth down jiang cheng’s shoulder to make him shiver. there’s another grunt, an annoyed groan and jiang cheng is slipping one arm free to tuck it beneath his pillow and rolling onto his stomach until the line of his body is pressed to nie mingjue’s front. fire sparks in nie mingjue where they are touching from shoulder to toe, but who can blame him when he is unable to resist the allure of tasting the tattoo that sits pretty on jiang cheng’s shoulder blade?
“so sleep, baobei, i am not stopping you.” nie mingjue lets his lips brush over skin as he speaks, slips a hand across to rest on the small of jiang cheng’s back, big and safe and warm. this is a game they play often, nie mingjue the cat who toys with his prey until he is needy and begging. he knows that he will win, but that doesn’t stop the arousal that swells inside him every time. he bites down, right over the heart of one of many flowers that paint jiang cheng’s back and sucks until he can add his own mark to this canvas. his lips eventually find the skin behind jiang cheng’s ear, the sterling silver rings bumping against his cheek cold as he nuzzles his nose into the stray hairs that lay there. when nie mingjue inhales, deep through his nose, he feels like he has at last found his way back home.
a soft sigh is pulled from jiang cheng when nie mingjue finally draws the skin of his neck between teeth and sucks until blood dots the surface. the deep purple of it is pretty against jiang cheng’s complexion, and nie mingjue hums appreciatively as he lathers his tongue over the bite to soothe, to taste.
“purple is your colour, a-cheng,” he will enjoy watching the marks of his teeth bloom and fade, until he can replace each one with a new declaration. in the silence of their room, beneath the plush sheets that shield them from the world, it is as if nothing else exists. the trees, the birds, the voices below all fade as nie mingjue maps out jiang cheng’s body with lips and teeth and tongue.
“a-jue,” is all he gets before jiang cheng is shifting again, muscles tensing and rolling as he lifts his head and turns it just enough to butt noses with nie mingjue. the two of them breathe there for a few seconds, nose to nose, eyes blissfully closed. and then nie mingjue descends fully, properly, to slot their mouths together.
the taste of toothpaste mixes with stale morning breath, but nie mingjue can’t find it in himself to care, marvelling at the softness of jiang cheng’s lips, the warmth of his tongue when he finally opens his mouth on a tiny gasp. one of jiang cheng’s hands falls to nie mingjue’s neck, his ring a cold weight against his pulse, thumb rubbing circles over the fan huaisang had carved into him with red ink. nie mingjue’s hand runs lazily up and down jiang cheng’s flank, a line of fire that has a shiver rolling deliciously through him.
it’s not long before nie mingjue has his chest to jiang cheng’s back again, hand spanning his stomach, cock nestled between heated thighs. the slow kisses he peppers over the multitude of hickeys he has left accentuate the sweet friction that is not nearly enough for either of them to feel much more than a building warmth in their bellies. from this position, nie mingjue has a clear view of jiang cheng’s front and the way his hand has curled into the sheets to stop himself from touching - an instinct honed by the years they have spent wrapped in one another’s bodies.
“you can touch, sweetheart.” nie mingjue’s tongue flicks over the shell of jiang cheng’s ear as he watches the way his lover’s cock jumps and leaks precome onto the bed in response to the sound of his voice. he knows by the goosebumps that rise over jiang cheng’s arms and the way his breath hitches that this is what he needs today. on days when jiang cheng is soft and pliable in his arms, all nie mingjue has to do is command and praise and he will be given anything he wants.
they are slow and undisturbed, silence around them as though the whole world has fallen away. there is only the soft timbre of nie mingjue’s voice as he guides jiang cheng’s long fingers to wrap around one of his nipples, to play with it the way he likes until he is muffling moans into his pillow. their silence is one filled with intimacy; the slick slide of nie mingjue’s cock as he fucks sensitive inner thighs, enjoying the drag of skin and the way jiang cheng’s muscles twitch every time their dicks rub together.
“perfect, you feel so good.” nie mingjue slips his hand down from jiang cheng’s stomach and fits it around their cocks, his thumb smearing precome across jiang cheng’s head and down. nie mingjue hooks his chin over jiang cheng’s shoulder to watch himself fuck into his loose fist until it’s sloppy and jiang cheng’s ears have turned red from embarrassment and arousal both. they’re making a mess, he knows, considers changing their position so that he can press into jiang cheng’s warmth nice and slow to fuck him into their mattress until he’s sobbing and full. but then jiang cheng’s leaning his head back, eyes shut and lips parted on a silent prayer as he comes into nie mingjue’s fist and onto the bed. he shakes through it, nie mingjue jerking them both lightly to ease him through his orgasm.
the press of jiang cheng’s ring against nie mingjue’s shaft sends a shock of lightning through him, fuel to the flame in the pit of his stomach. nie mingjue drops his own hand down to wrap around jiang cheng’s thigh, fingers digging into the flesh hard enough that he will leave bruises here too. the hand that wraps around him is firm, twisting and pulling just right to push him over the edge until he is coming, hips jerking and brows furrowed as pleasure rocks through him. a satisfied purr is pressed into his cheek with the damp drag of jiang cheng’s lips and nie mingjue swallows the tail-end of the sound with his own mouth, relishing in the fingers that remain curled around him. restraint allows him to pull away just enough to whisper against jiang cheng’s parted lips, “you’re amazing, baobei.”
jiang cheng wipes his hand across a corner of the sheets and then twists to face nie mingjue, rolling into his broad chest with a content sigh. the way their bodies stick together is uncomfortable, and will be disgusting when their come has dried, but all jiang cheng wants in this moment is to slip back into the embrace of sleep.
it had begun to snow, at some point, a layer of white settling on the windowsill like a bed of clouds. snowflakes spill over onto the wooden flooring of their bedroom, chilling everything but the two pressed so tightly together that the frigid air that has ascended over the unclean realm goes unnoticed.