Closed

[brightjade]

Who: Nie Mingjue and Meng Yao
Where: Sleeper 3C
When: Horshoe Day 18 - early morning
What: Early morning shenanigans
Warnings: Nothing...should be pretty innocent?


Mingjue hadn't meant to fall asleep in Meng Yao's cabin - he hadn't. And yet...that's exactly what he'd done. They'd been talking - carefully, hesitantly trying to find a balance. They're still so very far from okay but all things considered?

It's a big improvement.

He usually wakes early, early enough he hasn't been teleported back to his own bunk, and finds the smaller man curled in his arms. Other than a reflexive tensing though, he takes a careful breath to avoid waking the rest of the occupants - or at least he tries. Then works on untangling himself from Meng Yao.

He still has his head.

He still has his sanity.

And he feels...rested.

Comments

[ayao]

They need to talk, to understand what went so wrong. Meng Yao had shared what he had learned from Xue Yang and Huaisang and emphasized how heart-broken he was over Mingjue's death. Tears were shed - too many of them to count - and he had ended up clinging to the other man.

And amazingly Mingjue hadn't refused him that comfort. He found himself relaxing, murmuring against Mingjue's chest. At some point, he must have fallen asleep, though he doesn't remember doing so.

But it's a good sleep. When Mingjue wakes and tries to untangle them, he rouses and peers up at the other man, his dark eyes still sleepy.

"Chifeng-Zun..."

[brightjade]

Mistakes made. Insights given. Layers upon layers upon layers of deception and misunderstanding. Betrayals left and right. Relentless discussion.

He ended up not pushing the other away when Meng Yao clung to him so desperately. A familiar comfort, if one he'd denied himself for a while. Even if this Meng Yao hasn't lived through the years of comfort they'd had, before things soured.

It doesn't surprise him that his movements, however careful, woke the other. "It is still early," he comments. "Go back to sleep." Just, without him, as his actions state and he continues to pull away.

[ayao]

He may not have lived through what they had - would - endure together, but his love for Mingjue is strong. It occurred to him, in the midst of their discussion, that he might not be able to get back what he had. Still, he has to try.

He doesn't know any other way to be.

"Are you hungry? I can make you breakfast." Meng Yao shows no sign of wishing to go back to sleep. Not without a warm body to curl up next to anyway.

[brightjade]

Maybe they can't. There's a high probability they can't.

But they could, possibly, build something different. If they both put the necessary effort and time into it. Mingjue knows he can't just avoid Meng Yao. And death appears to also not be an option.

He doesn't quite roll his eyes at the question, and the recognition that comes with it. He ignores how it makes him feel, to know that Meng Yao would rather get up with him than go back to sleep alone.

"Tea," he decides instead.

[ayao]

Death doesn't last - as he learned from Xue Yang. Mingjue could keep killing him each time he came back, but that would be an onerous task. Eventually they would need to speak - like this - face to face and come to some sort of understanding.

Though it pains him greatly that he has lost the good will and trust of the Nies.

Without them...

He hasn't let himself go down that road yet.

"Of course." he rises and neatens his appearance with the aid of a brush. Then he lets himself out of the compartment so that he can make his way to the kitchen. He leaves the door partially ajar in case Mingjue wants to follow.

[brightjade]

Speaking face to face is preferable, even if often difficult. But less so now, with a clearer head and a better hold on his temper. With the eventual more lasting result.

If justice can be done without shoving Meng Yao down that road again, Mingjue knows he will do it.

He follows the other man out, though stops at his own cabin on the way to tidy his appearance. Then makes his way to the kitchen and sets to working beside Meng Yao as before.

[ayao]

In return he will try to be more open - more truthful. Meng Yao had presumed his feelings would be considered burdensome or a bore. They had no place in the brothel and Jin Guangshan certainly didn't give a damn about them. But the Nies are different.

He will consider changing his clothes and washing later - for now, he wants to see Mingjue comfortable. When the other man joins him, he ducks his head shyly, smiling to himself.

"When you speak to Huaisang..." he hesitates, frowning pensively, "Tell him that I made his favorite snack. I placed it in that cold box. It should keep."

[brightjade]

So many changes that could and should be made.

But the core of what had been between them remains. If Mingjue hadn't cared about Meng Yao and what was good for Meng Yao, he wouldn't have tried to get past that first betrayal. He wouldn't have given the other man the option to destroy him.

Maybe he's dooming himself again. But he still must try.

That shy duck of the head is familiar and his lips twitch and he purses them to fight the early reflex of a fond smile. Easily distracted by those words, and he nods in understanding, glancing at the cold box in question.

"I will let him know." Which is all he can promise.

[ayao]

"I could tell him they are not poisoned, but -" his shoulder lifts in a shrug, "He is very angry with me. Out of all of this, though I didn't need proof, I realize how tightly you and he are bound." he gives Mingjue a small, sad smile, "I hope you spend a lot of time together."

With the tea brewing and a light breakfast cooking, he turns and smooths over Mingjue's shirt. The fussing is second nature to him now and it is his quiet way of expressing his worry and affection.

[brightjade]

He wishes so badly he could reassure anyone that Meng Yao wouldn't poison someone. But he once would have denied the claim that Meng Yao would use music against someone supposedly dear to him.

"You were his shield." A reason for his brother's fury. It also means he must find someone who can test for poisons - for truly it hadn't occurred to him to think of until Meng Yao mentioned it.

Mingjue shakes his head, but continues working at the other's side in making tea and breakfast. "He is my brother." As infuriated as Huaisang makes him...he loves him.

That fussing is painfully familiar and it takes a moment to not react violently. To accept and...yes. To allow it.

"I would have tossed him back over that strange barrier on the platform if he hadn't latched on so tight." And begged with horrible, wretched tears and stubborn set to his jaw that Mingjue knows too well.

[ayao]

"I know." he murmurs, glancing up at Mingjue, aware that he may have given him another fear. Poison. But it is a fear they should all consider. Not from the train itself, that would render them useless, however the other passengers might find it amusing. They may not all be decent people.

"He would have found a way to climb back over." Meng Yao smiles with honest affection, carrying the tea pot and cups to the table, "Huaisang does not insist on his way often."

However when he does, he does not back down.

[brightjade]

Awareness more than fear. Mingjue understands that glance and only nods in answer.

And huffs out a quick breath at the image of his brother doing just that. Because Huaisang would. He dishes out their breakfast when it's ready, then follows to the table and sets a plate down before Meng Yao before taking a seat across from him.

"If he'd just use that stubbornness in training," the usual grumble escapes.

[ayao]

He flushes darkly when he is served. No one has ever...

In times like this, when he is dazzled by the other man, he finds it very hard to believe Xue Yang's words. Mingjue likes him, doesn't he? Otherwise he would have killed him. There is hope.

"You and he are different men. His mind is his strongest asset." he smiles gently, "Set him on tasks of diplomacy and you will not be disappointed."