grow as we go

no secrets

(side-story to “matchy-matchy” aka the soulmate au)

.

“…-and so that’s the whole plan so far!” Wei Ying finishes explaining with a flourish, to a dumbfounded, wide-eyed Nie Huaisang who has been sitting on his bed for the past five minutes.

“So… Everything you just made me get, and all the stuff I helped you do…” Nie Huaisang says slowly, looking to his side at the bunch of paper bags of various party supplies and other random things. “Those are all for a… surprise?”

“Yep.” Wei Ying says with a proud nod.

Nie Huaisang looks back at him, expression carefully blank. “And… and A-Cheng is not supposed to know?”

Another proud nod. “That’s what a surprise usually is, so – yes. He should have no idea at all!”

“No.” Nie Huaisang starts, and his voice wavers just slightly – “Noooooo, no, why?”

“W-What? Do you… think it’s not a good idea?” Wei Ying blinks in confusion. “I thought you’d like it, you like doing this stuff!”

“I love it – but why-…” Nie Huaisang asks, face buried in his hands, groaning. “Why did you tell me this? Why am I involved? You shouldn’t have told me any of this!”

Wei Ying blinks again. “What do you mean? Of course you’re in on this! You’re A-Cheng’s soulmate and you know him so well, you’ll be able to help us with everything we need to do!”

“Ahhhhh, but that’s the problem…” Nie Huaisang sounds miserable as he looks at his friend. “I’m his soulmate! You want me to help you plan a surprise party that he’s not supposed to know about?! I’d have to not tell him something?”

Wei Ying stops to think about it, then shrugs. “Eh? But it’s just for a bit? You don’t tell him everything, right? You two have, like, boundary stuff thingies you do-…?”

“Yeah, for like, a day or two…” Nie Huaisang shrugs. “For like little surprises, like when I buy him a gift or something. But we always know it, and it feels weird, so we don’t do it for too long. Now you want me to be sneaky for two whole weeks…”

“Oh… I didn’t know that… Huh…”

And then, as if summoned, the door opens and a very disgruntled looking Jiang Cheng looks at them.

“What is happening.” he says. He doesn’t even ask, he just says it as he looks between his brother and Nie Huaisang with furrowed brows.

“A-A-Cheng!” Wei Ying smiles, awkward. “What’s up?”

Jiang Cheng squints at him, then looks at Nie Huaisang. “You feel weird. Like all over the place. I’m trying to study. Why do you feel weird?”

“I-…” Nie Huaisang starts, looking at him as he summons up his own shaky grin. He is thankful that he has his phone in his hand as he lifts the gadget slightly. “We were watching something? We got kinda invested, haha… Sorry, I’ll try to not to be so loud…”

Wei Ying watches on as his brother and his friend just stare at each other. He is used to this. The two had formed their soulmate link very young, and Wei Ying has grown to accept that they will just have moments like this where they communicate without needing to use words.

After a moment, Jiang Cheng steps back. “Fine.” He looks at his brother with narrowed eyes again, and then leaves, closing the door behind him.

Wei Ying looks at Nie Huaisang again and raises an eyebrow. “So…?”

“So?” Nie Huaisang pouts. “He knows I just lied to him, and that I’m being sneaky.”

“Aw, shit. It’s that bad?” Wei Ying wonders. “I didn’t think you guys were that… y’know- Connected?”

Nie Huaisang crosses his arms across his chest. “Well, we’re like in love or something, so that means we’re… extra connected. It is freaky, I know.”

“Okay. So I see your point now.” Wei Ying says, nodding, starting to pace. “So telling you was a bad idea.”

Nie Huaisang agrees. “It’s so bad.”

“So bad!” Wei Ying laughs. “We’re still doing it though, right?”

Nie Huaisang could only sigh. “Of course we are.”

.

.

Nie Huaisang finds Jiang Cheng on his own bedroom, reading a book. He says nothing as he cozies up to Jiang Cheng’s side.

“Please don’t ask. I’m not supposed to tell you.” Nie Huaisang says, as Jiang Cheng absently wraps an arm around him to pull him close, while still not looking up from his reading.

Jiang Cheng lets out a disgruntled huff. “Why? Is it about me?”

Nie Huaisang grins. “Nope. Not at all!”

Of course Jiang Cheng immediately knows that it’s bullshit. He just sighs. “What the hell.”

“You’ll know soon. Bear with it for now, okay?” Nie Huaisang leans up and presses a quick kiss to his soulmate’s cheek. “I love youuuu~”

“Okay, just because that part isn’t a lie. I guess I’ll just deal with it.” Jiang Cheng says with a resigned shake of his head. “I don’t like it though. Feels weird.”

“Oh, I know. Feels soooo weird.”

Jiang Cheng just chuckles, and they don’t talk about it again.

.

.

The party planning and preparation proceeds, Wei Ying working on it with the same focus he has for many of his projects. Jiang Yanli is supportive of the whole thing, and Nie Huaisang helps with whatever Wei Ying asks him to help with.

“I love it. It’s great.” Nie Huaisang says, on the day before, when he sees the banner and streamers that Wei Ying and Wen Ning had put up.

“You think?” Wei Ying beams. “It’s gonna be awesome! Jiang Cheng will cry.”

“It is gonna be awesome.” Nie Huaisang smiles back at his friend, but his voice is faint, strained. “Sure.”

Beside him, Jiang Yanli rests a hand on his back. “A-Sang, are you okay?”

“Yep. So okay, Yanli-jie.” Nie Huaisang takes a breath. “I’m like, trying not to freak out or feel too excited so I don’t tip A-Cheng off, so now I just feel miserable.”

Wei Ying laughs. “Well, A-Cheng is not barging in here trying to find you yet, so you must be doing great!”

“Thank you!” Nie Huaisang smiles in appreciation, then shakes his head. “Never do this to me again!”

.

.

.

The surprise is a success. Jiang Cheng is surprised, and pretends to be too cool for it for only about five seconds before dropping the act and just accepting the confetti on his hair, the colorful banner, the really big cake, all his friends that are suddenly in his house, and just the general festivities.

Nie Huaisang feels it all – the split-second panic, the surprise, the initial tension, the surge of fondness for his siblings who were the first ones to greet him, and then the relief and happiness at just… being with people he cares about, celebrating together.

He also feels it when Jiang Cheng’s emotions feel too much to handle. He’d worried about this, when Wei Ying first suggested it. Jiang Cheng isn’t used to being at the center these things, specially unprepared, so no matter how much he appreciates the effort, he might still get to a point that he feels out of his depth.

So Nie Huaisang sticks beside him and clings to his arm the whole time, trying to feel as calm and steady as possible, to keep his soulmate grounded. He knows when Jiang Cheng feels his efforts, too, as he feels the hint of appreciation through their bond.

After Jiang Cheng has finished letting each of the guests greet him a happy birthday, he finally gets a moment to himself to breathe.

Well, a moment to himself and his soulmate.

“So this is what you’ve been keeping from me.” he says to Nie Huaisang, as they find a corner unoccupied by friends eating, drinking and laughing together.

“Yep.” Nie Huaisang replies with a giggle. “Do you like it? Please say you like it…”

“It’s a lot. But I do like it.” Jiang Cheng says, dropping a quick kiss to the other’s forehead. “So I guess I won’t be feeling all that weird sneaky stuff from you anymore?”

Nie Huaisang smiles as he wraps his arms around Jiang Cheng’s torso and snuggles close. “Mm-hm. It was really fun to sneak around. But it was not fun to keep things from you. It sucked like, so bad…”

“I know. I was there the whole time.”

That’s when Wei Ying finds them, and unprompted he screams and takes them both in his arms. “Aaaaahhhhh, Cheng-Cheng, I hope you like the surprise and I’m sorry for involving A-Sang and making you both feel weird I’m never doing that again, I promise!!!”

Jiang Cheng just rolls his eyes, but he doesn’t pull away just yet. “You better not. But sure, thanks. I… appreciate this.”

Wei Ying just squeezes them. “I love you very much! And A-Sang, thanks for being a trooper, I’m gonna go and surprise you for your birthday too and I swear not to tell Jiang Cheng!”

Jiang Cheng grunts. “Wait- I don’t know how to feel about that-”

“Ssssshhhh, it’s for your own good~ I’ve learned my lesson-”

Nie Huaisang chimes in, “Uh, Wei-xiong, it won’t be a surprise anymore if you’re telling me about it, though?”

Wei Ying looks at him, smirking mischievously. “Am I, really?”

“What does that mean-”

He only laughs giddily and then sprinkles kisses to the top of their heads before letting them go and skipping off again to somewhere.

Jiang Cheng just shakes his head as he watches his brother go. “He’s having too much fun.”

“Aw, you love him.” Nie Huaisang says, still pressed up close against him. “Don’t deny. I literally feel it.”

“You’re also having too much fun.” Jiang Cheng tells him, leaning down and pressing their foreheads together. They breathe in, then out – something they usually do to settle whatever intrusive or heavy emotions they have lingering through their bond.

From the main room, Nie Huaisang hears someone ask about Jiang Cheng, and someone else looking for them both.

“You good to go back?” he asks, keeping calm, knowing it’s up to him to maintain this stability to provide grounding for his sometimes easily overwhelmed soulmate.

“Ready when you are.” Jiang Cheng says, sending gratitude and appreciation through their bond.

He takes Nie Huaisang’s hand. Together, they go back to their friends to enjoy the festivities.

.

.

fin.