Archive of Our Own

Nie Huaisang collected his airplane ticket from the check-in clerk and reluctantly handed over his suitcase, hoping it wouldn't be 'misplaced' between here and his next destination. It had taken him three days of waiting in a small town's only cheap motel for a space to open up on the stand-by list just to get away from this backwoods area and back to Ottawa, and even then he was looking at an all-night layover spent trying to nap in the airport terminal. He didn't have enough money for another hotel room even if they hadn't all been booked, and he was too ashamed about what had happened back in town (Hawkins-town or Pheasant-ville or some dumb name like that) to call his family and ask for a loan.

It wasn't his fault he was trying to find a last-minute way home during the holiday season – this was not what he'd expected to be doing with his time off, but fate had other plans for him.

By the time he made it through airport security, he was in dire need of a drink.

He waded through the throng of people in search of the sole little cafeteria that existed in this damned airport. All around him, people were happy. Happy toddlers and happy parents and happy lovers holding hands while their happy friends smiled happily out the window. Nie Huaisang wanted them all to step on legos.

There seemed to be one little corner that wasn't mired in happiness, at the counter where all but one of the stools were occupied by men having drinks, likely to drown their sorrows like Nie Huaisang wanted to do. Unfortunately, he knew he could only afford a drink or two, but he'd done enough drowning in alcohol in the last few days to do him until long past New Year's. He slid in next to an angry-looking man in a purple leather jacket and glanced up at the menu, wincing when he saw the prices for a simple bottle of beer. He didn't remember them costing that much when he'd first passed through here a few days ago – they must have jacked up the prices for the post-Christmas traffic.

Just his luck.

He ordered the cheapest beer they had, then picked up the salt shaker to fiddle with while he waited for his drink to come. He tried to get it to balance on one edge and was almost able to manage it, but then he was distracted when the server returned with his beer – the shaker toppled, sending salt scattering all over his end of the counter. He looked at the mess and all he wanted to do was cry.

And he would have cried had he not been dried up after three long days of doing it almost non-stop.

“You look like you're having as good a day as I am.” The man in the purple jacket righted the salt shaker and handed over a paper napkin. Nie Huaisang nodded his thanks and began to sweep up the scattered salt crystals.

“I've been better,” he replied unsteadily. He'd been worse, too, though only twice, and those were the times he had almost lost his father and brother to heart attacks (thankfully, both had survived to nag at him another day).

The man in purple snorted and picked up his glass, some sort of amber liquid on ice, swishing the contents around before taking a drink. “Fucking Christmas. Bullshit greeting card holiday that does nothing but feed on people's nostalgia, romanticizing small towns and meddlesome family members and 'miracles' that don't exist.”

Nie Huaisang nodded as he took a drink of his beer and winced. He hated the taste of the stuff, but at least it was alcoholic. “I used to think the decorations were pretty at least, the lights and the tinsel... but they just hide the rot underneath it all.”

The man next to him looked his way, his thin lips twisting into something that could have been a grimace or a smirk. “Jiang Cheng,” he said, holding his hand out.

“Nie Huaisang,” he replied, shaking Jiang Cheng's hand.

It was the kindest thing that had happened to him in the last several days.

Fuck, his life was pathetic.

“So, Nie Huaisang, what's your story?”

Perhaps another day or time he might have hesitated and thought better of spilling his guts to a total stranger in an airport cafeteria, but today, he was simply thankful for the sympathetic ear.

“I've been dating this guy Eric for over a year now, which is kind of a record for me. I thought it was working out pretty well, too. He asked me to come home with him for Christmas with his family, and originally I had to turn him down even though I wanted to say yes. I don't celebrate the holiday so I always take extra shifts at work at this time of year so my co-workers can take time off with their families.”

“Where do you work?”

“I'm an ER Admitting clerk, night shifts. I know it's nothing glamorous, but-”

“-but it's still important,” Jiang Cheng interrupted. “My friend's a doctor and her brother's a PSW, and if you drop the right hat, they'll go on a long rant about how important everyone is in the system even if only a few get the glory. Don't sell yourself short.”

Nie Huaisang's cheeks ached as he smiled for the first time in almost a week. “Thanks,” he replied, genuinely thankful for this stranger at his side. “Anyway, some of my co-workers are romantics and they thought it was sad that I'd stay behind while my boyfriend was celebrating Christmas with his family, so they got together and switched a whole bunch of shifts to surprise me with the time off to go and surprise him. I spent a good chunk of my savings on the ticket out here because last-minute flights are ridiculously expensive, but I thought it would be fine because I only had to get a one-way ticket. I figured because my boyfriend had driven home, I'd just be coming back with him, right?”

“And that plan got thrown out the window, I presume.”

“Yeah.” Nie Huaisang sighed. “I get out here and take a cab to this small town a half hour from the airport. The snow's falling softly, and the whole town is out celebrating some sort of ice sculpture festival, and I'm thinking this is going to be wonderful and romantic and he would see me across the crowd and smile because his holiday would be perfect with me there. And then I spot him holding hands with this other guy, and he leans over and kisses him!” It took everything he had not to slam his head down on the counter. “So I got a little upset.”

He'd actually screamed so loudly he'd startled a few little old ladies and received glares from a handful of school-aged children who'd been trying to sing carols nearby.

“Long story short, the other guy had been his first huge crush, back before he was out and who he'd always thought was straight, but apparently he's not straight, and their families had decided they belonged together so my boyfriend would be tempted to move back home. So he gets mad at me as if I've done something wrong – apparently he couldn't take any more of my 'weird work hours' or 'not celebrating the right holidays' or because I 'spend too much time on the computer and never pick up my socks', or some dumb shit like that.”

He'd also mentioned Nie Huaisang's 'porn addiction' several times, but that wasn't exactly something he wanted to tell a total stranger.

“So I get my ass dumped in the middle of the town square with all these people looking at me like I'm some sort of demon who's been conspiring to keep their home town boy in the Big City. And because I'd only bought a one-way fare, it's taken me three days on the stand-by list to get a flight out of here. I've been staying in this dinky little motel that I swear hasn't been updated since the 70s, and of course they're charging twice the usual rate because of the holiday season – and I think the owner is my ex's cousin, so they probably tacked on extra for revenge or something. The only good thing is that the motel was next to the liquor store.”

He finished the last swig of his beer just as the server came to check on their drinks. “Another?” they asked, looking overworked and over-tired.

Before Nie Huaisang could say no, Jiang Cheng nodded. “I'll have another whiskey on the rocks, and for my friend...” He looked over to Nie Huaisang. “You didn't seem to be enjoying the beer. What's your usual drink?”

He swallowed hard. “It's all right, I don't think I've got enough for-”

“My treat.” And then Jiang Cheng's face softened, and for a moment, Nie Huaisang was stunned speechless.

“Ahm.” He cleared his throat. “I don't suppose you've any German Riesling?” The server shook their head. “Didn't think so. I'll take whatever House white wine you have.” The server nodded and turned to get their drinks. “I actually prefer a good Vinho Verde, but asking for that out here just gets me looks as if I'm trying to be pretentious or something.” Not that he was averse to being pretentious when he was in the mood, but that wasn't the case with his wine preferences.

Jiang cheng nodded. “Not my favourite, but I had a few nice ones in Porto. Loved the table whites in Barcelona, though.”

Nie Huaisang's eyes grew wide. “You've been to Europe?” Jiang Cheng nodded as if it was nothing to travel to Europe whenever he wished. He sighed. “I've always wanted to go, hoped to save up for it some day.”

“It's all right... though I'm definitely never going to Paris again,” Jiang Cheng said with far too much vehemence – this sounded personal.

The server returned with their drinks and dropped them off before hurrying away to another customer. Nie Huaisang took a sip of his white wine – just an Ontario Pinot Grigio, not his favourite but still much better than beer. He wasn't really a wine snob, but before working at the hospital, he'd worked at the liquor store, so he knew more than a little about wines – definitely enough to know what he liked.

“So, I've spilled my guts... it's your turn.” He felt more relaxed already, the taste of wine on his lips and the feel of a stemmed glass in his hand. “What happened? Does it have anything to do with why you hate Paris?”

Jiang Cheng heaved a heavy sigh and took a sip of his scotch. “Yeah... that's where I proposed to my now ex-fiancee, Ning Li. We got engaged two months ago. I tried to make it all romantic – took her to the top of the Eiffel Tower, did the whole get down on one knee and gave her a rose, the whole schtick. Made my mother happy for once – she's best friends with my ex's aunt and they've been wanting our families joined for ages. Plus it got her off my back about me being bi – she'd tell me 'I don't care what you are or who you want to sleep with, you'll marry a woman and give me grandchildren.”

“No pressure at all.” Nie Huaisang received back an eyeroll that made him want to smile. “But your ex... you don't exactly sound like you wanted to propose to her in the first place.”

Jiang Cheng shrugged. “It was a partnership and we got along. Trust me, after growing up watching my parents come to hate each other, a spouse I can tolerate and get along with is an improvement.”

Nie Huaisang frowned but decided to hold his tongue. He supposed he'd been lucky to have a family that loved each other as they did.

“So she'd been estranged from her parents for years – her aunt raised her – but they touched base before Christmas and asked her to help with some sort of legal thing – she's a lawyer, so it wasn't exactly a strange request. I think some Corporation was trying a takeover of a small hardware store? Something like that. So she goes to help and over the course of two weeks, decides she's leaving her job to move home and manage her parents' restaurant, then calls me to dump me because she's met someone else and says she never wants to see me again. I'd have probably been fine wishing her happiness and leaving it at that except I needed to get the ring back.”

“Was it special?”

“Yeah.” Jiang Cheng reached into his jacket's inner pocket and pulled out something very nontraditional but still quite stunning – the ring was made of silver and shaped like a snake eating its own tail, and its eyes were made of purple gemstones. “This has been in my family for a few generations. There was no way in hell I was going to let that bitch keep it and pawn it.”

“Sounds reasonable. Explains why you flew down to the middle of nowhere at the worst time of the year.”

“I didn't fly.” The ring was carefully stashed back in Jiang Cheng's pocket. “I rented a car and drove. Got all the way there and sought her out, then got into a huge fight with her and her new boyfriend and her parents. Turns out she was angry about a lot of things I didn't know about and threw them all in my face.”

Nie Huaisang winced.

“But I got the ring back, and I was in such a hurry to get away that I spun out on some black ice. Totalled the car, and the rental company didn't have any others in this area. I called the airline, got on the stand-by list, and... here I am.”

“Here you are, and here I am. Probably the only two Chinese people in a 100 click radius. Drinking in an airport during the busiest time of the year.”

The two men looked at each other, then both let out the sort of chuckle one makes because it's better than crying.

There was a sudden burst of static in the air before a woman's voice called out the next flight number. Nie Huaisang sighed and brought his glass to his lips to finish it off, and when he went to take out his wallet to pay the bill for the first beer, he looked up to see Jiang Cheng had already paid for the both of them.

“You didn't have to.”

“Consider it your Christmas miracle.” Jiang Cheng's sarcasm was amusing, and Nie Huaisang couldn't help but smile in response.

And then they both got up from their stools almost in unison.

“Toronto?” Nie Huaisang asked.

“Ottawa – but everything has to go through mother-fucking Toronto.”

“Me too.” It was a small world after all.

They walked to the gate together, but from there were separated by the press of the small crowd that lined up for boarding. From that point forward, Nie Huaisang just tried to focus on getting onto the plane and stashing his carry-on in the overhead compartment without dropping it on someone's head. It was a small plane with but a single aisle and two seats on either side. As he was patting his carry-on into place, he took a peek along the aircraft to see if he could spot his drinking companion, but he couldn't see him from here. He sighed and sat down in his window seat, then tried his best to relax as the rest of the passengers took their seats and settled in for the flight.

“Um, excuse me?” He looked up to see a woman with dark bags under her eyes and unkempt hair hanging over a harried expression. “I'm sorry to bother you, but... I couldn't get two seats together and my daughter is several rows away. I don't suppose you'd be willing to switch places with her so we can sit together?”

Perhaps another day he might have argued or put up a token protest – he didn't like being inconvenienced, particularly when he was feeling miserable and heartbroken – but the little bit of kindness Jiang Cheng had shown him made him feel a little more charitable than usual. “Sure, just let me get my bag.”

“Oh, thank you!”

The woman turned to speak to the stewardess as Nie Huaisang gathered his things – jacket, phone, magazine – and reached up to fetch his carry-on. The stewardess was just returning with a young girl in tow, and after showing the child to Nie Huaisang's seat, she reached out to take his bag for him.

“The overheads are getting full so I'll find a spot for your bag, sir. Thank you again for your kindness during this holiday season.”

“It's not a problem,” he replied as he was led down the length of the aircraft. “I'm flying alone anyway.”

“Right here, I've already alerted your seat-mate to the situation. If you need anything during the flight, please let me know.”

“Thank you,” he called out as she walked away with his bag, then turned to the seat he'd been led to.... “Jiang Cheng?”

Jiang Cheng looked equally surprised to see him, but it gave way to a smirk. “Seems I can't shake you for long, can I.”

“That's me, your friendly neighbourhood stalker.” Nie Huaisang caught a look from the stewardess asking him to get settled in; he quickly lowered into the seat and went about putting on his seatbelt.

“It's fine, at least you'll be better company. Not that I don't like kids, but... I'm not exactly in the right mood to deal with them right now.”

It wasn't long before the staff went about their safety instruction routines, then everyone sat back as the plane's engines were started. Nie Huaisang hadn't flown very often in his life, but takeoff had always been his favourite part of flying. Even though the sky outside the plane was dark, he kept his eyes on the window and what little view he had outside. The plane taxied down the runway and he felt a ball of exhilaration in his stomach that only grew bigger and bigger; the plane stopped, the engines suddenly shifted, and the plane sped up and lifted from the ground.

His body felt both heavy and weightless, his lungs were demanding he begin to breathe again, and his eyes picked out the clouds in the sky that reflected the moonlight, with the stars blinking overhead. It was the best he'd felt in a very, very long time. He blinked and realized his eyes were wet – it seemed he had some tears left in him after all – but before he could begin searching for a tissue, one was placed in his hands. He shifted his gaze to see that Jiang Cheng had been watching him, and he nodded his thanks as he took the tissue and used it to wipe at his cheeks.

“Sorry,” he muttered. “I just... like this part, a lot. And I'm not usually this emotional.” Sure he was dramatic and over-exaggerating and flamboyant, but rarely was he ever genuinely emotional over something.

“It's all right. After the week you've had... you deserve to have something nice to smile about.”

Nie Huaisang let out a self-deprecating chuckle, but then Jiang Cheng's face was transformed by a gentle smile – the sort Da-ge and their parents would get when Nie Huaisang would do something cute or silly, or the kind their father would give one of their mothers when they'd done something endearing. Had Eric ever smiled at him like that?

Did it even matter anymore? Eric wasn't here, didn't want to be near him. But at least there was one person unrelated to him who seemed to think he wasn't completely useless.

“So,” Jiang Cheng made a pointed motion with the glass of straight vodka he held in his hand, “she finishes bitching me out in the parking lot of her parents' house, finally gives me back my fucking ring, then her new boyfriend rolls up in this ugly old red truck-”

“What is it with the red trucks?” Nie Huaisang looked personally offended by the damned things, and Jiang Cheng honestly thought it was one of the most adorable things he'd seen all day. “Does every small town have one? Do they share them from town to town? And if it's not the truck itself, it's the decorations all over the place with pictures of the truck. Why do people care so much about it?”

“And what did the truck do to you?”

“Nearly ran me over,” Nie Huaisang replied easily. “Jackass driver didn't even look where he was going. I was just minding my own business, running away from the damned sculpture festival after getting my heart broken, that's all.”

Jiang Cheng snorted. “Doesn't surprise me. Macho assholes with pickup trucks tend not to care about things like pedestrians, or turn signals, or stop signs.”

The stewardess stopped in the aisle next to them. “Hello again, gentlemen. Here, let me get your empty glasses.”

“Refill, please?” Jiang Cheng asked, handing over an empty plastic cup.”

The woman glanced across the plane before nodding to herself. “All right, just one more, but I need to close the bar cart after that. Same drink for you both?”

Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang nodded. The stewardess quickly put together two glasses of straight vodka on ice to hand to the two men.

“Now just to let you know, we have a couple of children on board who've managed to fall asleep, so we're hoping the rest of the flight goes nice and smoothly. Is there anything more I can get you both?”

Nie Huaisang smirked and looked to Jiang Cheng with a raised eyebrow. “I think that's her nice way of asking us to keep it down.”

“We're good,” Jiang Cheng replied.

As the woman left, Nie Huaisang playfully brought a finger to his lips and leaned toward Jiang Cheng. “We'll be so quiet, they'll forget we're here.” Their heads were now so close that Jiang Cheng could smell the spiced peanuts Nie Huaisang had been nibbling on. “But, Jiang Cheng, can I ask you a question?”

“You just did.” Nie Huaisang rolled his eyes and let out a small giggle. “All right, what's on your mind?”

“Just something that doesn't add up for me. I get what happened with your ex, and I get that it wasn't a love match, that you didn't love her or anything like that... but when I met you, you looked pretty depressed. Maybe you'd liked her more than you thought? Or was it something else?”

Jiang Cheng was usually an expert at keeping his thoughts and feelings to himself, but there was just something about this stranger that made him want to open up. “Well, I had thought she and I were friends at least, and it hurt that she'd do it all in this way. I suppose I should be thankful she ended the engagement over the phone rather than by text.”

“Yeah, that would have been horrible.” Nie Huaisang's nose scrunched up, then relaxed when he brought his glass of vodka to his lips.

Lips Jiang Cheng's eyes lingered on a moment too long for his liking. He mentally chastised himself, and blamed it on the fact that it had been several weeks now since he'd last had sex – mediocre sex with a fiancee who even then may have been considering leaving him.

“But... my parents have always had extremely high standards and expectations of me, more than for my sister. Like, the day I graduated university, I got a Bachelor of Architectural Studies at Carleton, you'd think that would be enough to impress my mother, but right away she's asking me what I'm going to do next – didn't even let me enjoy the day before insisting I do more, like get an Engineering degree or Law. And my father, I'm lucky he even remembered I exist long enough to make it to the graduation ceremony. Though my best friend got his Bachelor of Engineering the same day, and Dad wouldn't have missed watching him graduate... Dad always liked him better than me, would probably exchange us if he could.”

Nie Huaisang gave him a knowing look. “First or second generation?”

He snorted. “My grandparents immigrated from Yunmeng, unfortunately they're pretty traditional. They even arranged my parents' marriage. You?”

“My parents, from Qinghe. They are the opposite of traditional, which is kind of the reason why they fought so hard to come to Canada.” Jiang Cheng tilted his head, curious. “So I have three parents, my Dad and his two partners. They would have been kind of accepted back in the old days – you know, the whole man gets a wife and a concubine sort of thing – except they're a proper triad, meaning that the women love each other as much as they love Dad. So there's Dad's wife, who is my brother's mother, and officially my Mom is the 'live-in girlfriend'” Nie Huaisang said the latter complete with finger quotes, “because the law won't allow it to be legal all-around. But at least over here they're at less risk of being subject to homophobia than they would have been back in China. My brother and I were both born here.”

“It... sounds like your family loves each other very much.” Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to keep the tinge of jealousy from his voice. He and his sister loved each other more than anyone in the world, but their parents were a whole other story.

“They have their moments, like every family. Dad and my brother teach Gung-Fu at their own studio, and they've been trying to teach me ever since I was a kid, and if I didn't want to go – which was all the time – they'd physically drag me to the classroom and force me. I swear, they tortured me!”

He tried not to laugh at Nie Huaisang's melodramatic whining, but it was a losing battle. “Did they make you go to Chinese School too?”

Nie Huaisang nodded. “I didn't mind. Our parents all spoke Mandarin and it was fun to be able to talk to each other in public sometimes when nobody could understand us, though most of the time we'd just speak in English in Public. I loved the poetry, though.”

“I once came third in class after an oral exam, and I got an hour-long lecture from my mother about how I was disrespecting my ancestors by losing touch with my culture. She then refused to talk to me in anything but Mandarin until I came at least second.”

“She sounds like such a lovely lady,” Nie Huaisang said overly sarcastically. “I'm betting she lost her shit when you told her about the end of the engagement.”

Jiang Cheng nodded and took a long, long drink of his vodka. “She told me I'm a failure who couldn't even keep a woman, and that if I didn't get my shit together, nobody would ever want to marry me.”

Nie Huaisang looked stricken, as if he'd been the one who'd received the lecture. “And what did your Dad have to say?”

He sighed. “He looked at my mother and said, 'I told you it was too early to even think about making wedding plans'.”

“Fuck. Yeah, that would drive me to drink too.”

Jiang Cheng turned his head to look out the tiny window, catching a few pinpricks of light from the stars above. All he could think of was how much of a failure and disappointment he was to his parents, and it was going to drive him mad...

“Hey,” Nie Huaisang whispered, his head close enough that Jiang Cheng could feel his warm breath against his cheek. “Do you want to know a secret I've never told anybody, not even my brother?”

He moved his head back, thankful for the distraction from his thoughts. “Sure. What is it?”

“Well, my ex used to bug me all the time because I have a pretty extensive erotica collection at home. He accused me of having a porn addiction all the time, but it's really nice, tasteful stuff, you know?”

Jiang Cheng wouldn't know, he never really looked at the stuff, but he was plenty happy to take Nie Huaisang's word for it.

“My brother teases me about it too. But what they don't know, what I've never told anyone, is that... I've actually written several of the books in my library. Under an assumed name, of course – an English one.”

Now that he hadn't expected. “You're published?”

Nie Huaisang nodded enthusiastically. “Some of them are pretty simple but steamy vanilla romance, but others are a little on the kinkier side. I don't think my family would mind, per se, but people look at us weird enough as it is without this getting out. Plus... it's kind of nice to have a secret of my own.”

Jiang Cheng unconsciously turned a little more toward Nie Huaisang, interested despite himself. “So, do you, uh, write from experience?”

“I wish,” Nie Huaisang snorted. “Sadly, real life just isn't like it is in stories. But it's nice to have a place where I can write about how I wish it could be.”

“And how is it you wish it could be?”

“Well, super passionate, to start.” Nie Huaisang's expression turned almost dreamy. “Like you meet someone and can't keep your hands off of them, you can't resist just climbing them like a tree and losing track of the world around you when you kiss. And fully equal – switching up roles in bed sometimes, taking turns deciding on where to order takeout from, cooking dinner together... that's a big one for me. My moms always loved to cook together and my brother and I would help all the time.”

Jiang Cheng nodded. “I used to help my sister in the kitchen. She loved to cook, and I liked helping her, even if it was just cutting carrots.”

Nie Huaisang curled into his seat facing Jiang Cheng. “Food is definitely a love language. And respect, there has to be respect – even when I write enemies-to-lovers kinds of things, they always respect each other if nothing else.”

“Your ex didn't respect you?” He frowned, unable to imagine someone not giving Nie Huaisang the respect he deserved.

“Yes, and no... It's not that he was ever mean or cruel or anything, really, he was nice until he broke my heart... but, and don't take this the wrong way, he was white, like really white.”

“Meaning,” Jiang Cheng continued for him, “he'd call you 'exotic' or some shit like that, and would wrinkle his nose when smelling the food your mom cooked for you, and would say things that were ignorant even if he thinks he's properly 'woke'.”

“Exactly.”

Jiang Cheng shook his plastic glass to check on what little alcohol was left, then playfully tapped it against Nie Huaisang's, which was also almost empty. “Here's to letting go of assholes, and making room for something like in your stories.”

“I'll drink to that...”

The plane landed at Pearson International Airport, and the moment it stopped, people all over the plane stood up in anticipation of leaving, some obviously in a rush to get somewhere, others who were still groggy from a nap and looking forward to a proper night's sleep in their own bed. Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng remained in theirs seats for a while, having come to a silent agreement to let the better part of the crowd leave before them. Yet as every person passed them by, Nie Huaisang grew more and more reluctant to leave the plane. The three-hour flight had felt like an entire world unto itself with just him and Jiang Cheng talking their way across the country, and he wasn't looking forward to the reality of life outside the plane – particularly when it meant hours of trying to nap in the airport waiting area.

When there were only a couple of passengers left, he finally stood up and stretched out his back. The stewardess brought him his bag from where she had stashed it, and he stood aside and watched as Jiang Cheng reached into the overhead compartment for his own carry-on. At some point during the flight, Jiang Cheng had taken off his purple leather jacket, and as he reached up for his bag, and Nie Huaisang's eyes caught the flexing of of toned muscles under the fabric of his simple grey button-down. He mentally chastised himself for ogling the one person who'd shown him some kindness this week.

Though... he was broken-hearted, not dead. Surely there was no harm in looking.

Finally they both had their bags in hand and were beginning the walk toward the plane door, and every step made Nie Huaisang feel like he was on the verge of losing something important. He wondered if there was some sort of non-creepy way to offer Jiang Cheng his phone number, but he shot down every idea that popped into his mind. Any moment now he would have to say goodbye to this stranger who had brought him a glimmer of happiness in one of the worst weeks of his life, and he didn't know how to do it.

Eventually they were passing over the walkway and through the final door that opened into the gate waiting area.

Dread dropped into his stomach like a dead weight.

“So...” It was Jiang Cheng who slowed and turned to face Nie Huaisang, his fingers gripping his suitcase's handle far too tightly and the muscles in his jaw clenched tight. “Where are you staying? Maybe we can share a taxi if our hotels aren't too far apart.”

Nie Huaisang glanced around the gate area where two people were already making themselves little nests on the floor to spend the night. “Here, once I get my case from the luggage return,” he admitted reluctantly, wishing he could give any answer but that one. Perhaps he should have lied, but it was too late to take back now. “Even if there were any rooms available, which there aren't, I can't afford it.”

Jiang Cheng's eyes narrowed and Nie Huaisang wondered if he was going to be on the receiving end of a lecture about managing one's finances.

“Well...” Jiang Cheng took in a deep breath as he looked Nie Huaisang in the eye. “All right. So, I know you have no reason to trust me, or me you, but... where I'm staying, they usually give me a room either with two queens or a king and a couch, so there's always plenty of space, and it's a hell of a lot more comfortable than sleeping on the airport floor.”

Nie Huaisang blinked.

“So... why don't you come with me? You can stay overnight, we can order some decent wine and something sugary and fattening from the restaurant downstairs.” Somehow, Jiang Cheng managed to fidget while barely moving – it was quite the accomplishment. “I wouldn't blame you for saying no, for all you know I'm a serial killer or something, but... it would be really nice not to be alone tonight.”

With everything Jiang Cheng had done for him thus far, he still wanted to do more? Nie Huaisang was nearly disoriented with a sudden deluge of emotion – gratitude and fondness and a thrill of something that almost felt like joy. He knew that logically he should say no, that it was a bad idea to leave with someone he barely knew... but he wanted to do it anyway, more than anything else in the world. Perhaps he was foolish for wanting it, but he no longer cared. If he questioned himself about it later, he could just blame it on the little bit of vodka he'd had during the flight.

“Do you think they'd have cheesecake?” he asked, offering his companion a smile that he hoped articulated just how much he appreciated the offer.

“If they don't,” Jiang Cheng returned, the tension in his body easing away, “we can always order in from someplace that does.”

“Well, if there's wine and cheesecake involved, I can't really say no, can I?”

Jiang Cheng's cheeks took on a pink tinge and he momentarily looked away. “No, I suppose you can't. Come on, let's get our bags and grab a taxi; it's faster than the shuttle.”

“You lead, I'll follow.”

Their gazes met one last time before they left in search of transportation to Jiang Cheng's hotel.

The hotel had a bistro and bar downstairs where they stopped on their way in, and Jiang Cheng was amused at Nie Huaisang's excitement upon seeing the menu. In the end, they headed upstairs with a bottle of prosecco, an artisanal pizza... and two pieces of cheesecake.

Nie Huaisang's eyes opened wide the moment he'd seen the hotel room – a King suite with a large couch and an amazing view of Toronto. Jiang Cheng watched as he went over to the window to gaze out over the city, his eyes reflecting the bright lights down below. He set their food and drink on a coffee table before going to join his companion by the window.

“See anything interesting?”

“There's a whole world out there,” Nie Huaisang said as if it had only just occurred to him. “I guess our problems don't matter so much, when you think about it.” He sighed. “It's beautiful here, too. Eric used to talk about his memories of home and living in a small down, and how beautiful it was out there when it snowed... he thought the city felt a little dead, but it's so alive.”

He looked up at Jiang Cheng, who had been listening attentively, and blushed.

“I'm sorry, I shouldn't talk about him anymore... not when we've got some good food and wine to break open.”

“It's all right. Everything's still fresh, it's normal. That just means we need to work harder at taking your mind off of him.”

Jiang Cheng began setting out the food while Nie Huaisang found a pair of plastic cups to pour out the sparkling wine. As they ate, they turned on the TV for some background noise, and Nie Huaisang stopped it on a nature documentary about some sort of South-East Asian crane; Jiang Cheng didn't care enough about birds to pay much attention but Nie Huaisang had smiled boyishly the moment he'd seen them on the screen, and Jiang Cheng was happy to keep it there for him.

They talked and laughed even more freely than on the plane, and Jiang Cheng couldn't remember the last time he'd spent so long just being himself without having to put up a face for his parents or his co-workers or his sister... Nie Huaisang even seemed to enjoy it when Jiang Cheng got angry or sarcastic, things he usually had to keep in check around most people.

It was... liberating.

By the time it was nearly midnight, they had finished all the food and wine and had migrated to the large King bed where they sat shoulder-to-shoulder against the padded headboard. The only light left on was from the TV and the city lights through the window. Jiang Cheng felt relaxed and oh so comfortable, and though he'd had a few drinks over the course of the day, none of it had really gone to his head; it had only served to make him feel less uptight.

His eyes kept flickering from Nie Huaisang's eyes to his lips to the way his hands moved when he talked, and he felt this ache inside of him, a yearning to lean over and touch and do so much more... though he shouldn't, and Nie Huaisang would probably be furious if he had even an inkling of what was going on in his mind. He was suddenly hit by the truth that this was what attraction should feel like, and how he'd never felt it for Ning Li. She'd been beautiful and graceful and demure, but never had he felt the need to drink in the sight of her the way he did with this total stranger in his bed. It was probably a bad idea to even look at the other man, but he was long past caring.

He had shut off the overly cautious part of his brain the moment he'd invited Nie Huaisang to his hotel room.

Nie Huaisang ended his story about a couple he'd met in the ER that had inspired one of his books and gave Jiang Cheng a sheepish look. “I've been boring you, haven't I. Me and the bird documentaries.” The cranes had ended an hour ago and now it was toucans. “Here, we can watch something else if you like.”

“No, it's okay. I don't mind-” He reached out to stop Nie Huaisang from taking hold of the remote control.

The moment their hands touched, his stomach lurched. He heard a sharp intake of breath next to him. Jiang Cheng knew he should take his hand back, but he didn't want to, and he was immobilized by the warring between his common sense and this need he felt deep inside to be held and to hold someone who thought of him as something more than just a filial duty. Just when he began to wonder if he was forcing Nie Huaisang to stay in place, a thumb tenderly caressed his little finger.

He turned his head to find Nie Huaisang was looking at him, bottom lip adorably caught between his teeth. Everything within him screamed to lean over and kiss the other man, to find shelter in his arms and body... but there was still a part of him, tiny though it was, that had retained an ounce of rationality.

“I know I invited you here,” he whispered in a husky voice, “but I don't expect- You're free to sleep on the couch, if that's what you want.”

A mischievous look took over Nie Huaisang's face, and Jiang Cheng could feel any last resistance in him ebb away. “Something you need to know about me is that I rarely do anything I don't want to do. There's always a way out of it... if I don't want it.”

It was like something inside of Jiang Cheng broke, some sort of tie that held back his ability to reach for what he wanted in life, and the next thing he knew, his lips were on Nie Huaisang's and he was caressing the other man's neck with his fingers. Nie Huaisang surged toward him and climbed into his lap, straddling his thighs and holding him to the mattress with unexpected strength – it seems his family had managed to convince him to attend a few Gung-Fu lessons after all.

When Nie Huaisang broke out of the kiss, Jiang Cheng looked dazedly up at him as nimble fingers trailed down the centre of his shirt and fiddled with the top-most button.

“This is a bad idea.” Despite Nie Huaisang's words, the first button on Jiang Cheng's shirt was popped open.

“Do you want to stop?” Jiang Cheng would be disappointed as hell, but if he heard no, that would be the end of it.

“Fuck no.” There was a rasp in Nie Huaisang's voice that matched the heat in his eyes as he looked down at Jiang Cheng and opened another button. “I just thought it should be said, for the record.”

“That's this is a bad idea.”

“Yeah – very, very bad.” Nie Huaisang's lips crashed down onto his, and Jiang Cheng slid his hands to his waist, fingers dipping under the hem of his sweater. “And we're doing it anyway.”

There were no more words after that, only Nie Huaisang's pulling his shirt from his pants and popping open the last buttons. The moment he was done, Jiang Cheng shoved the sweater up and over Nie Huaisang's head, desperate to touch more than fabric against his skin.

There was no artistry or reverence, only desperation as they both worked to rid the other of every scrap of clothing they wore. Jiang Cheng was finally able to slide his hand over a short but thick cock and he wrapped his fingers around it, provoking a gasp and a muttered curse. He moved Nie Huaisang onto his back and kept his strokes going as he dove in, his lips latching to the place where jaw met neck, and he lavished attention with his lips and tongue and teeth. Nie Huaisang's hands clutched at his shoulders, looking utterly lost in whatever he was feeling, and Jiang Cheng felt an all-encompassing need to make sure Nie Huaisang thought of nobody but him.

Jiang Cheng kissed back up to Nie Huaisang's lips and shifted them both onto their sides. He was hungry for the taste of him, for more of this passion that he'd never felt before from anybody. Nie Huaisang's thigh shifted between his, and then a set of slim fingers wrapped around his own cock, beginning to stroke in time to Jiang Cheng's rhythm. He groaned into the other man's mouth and arched his hips into his touch.

Jiang Cheng wanted so much but he was already feeling overwhelmed by the sensations all over his body. And then Nie Huaisang gasped and tucked his head into Jiang Cheng's neck, and he spilled over Jiang Cheng's hand. Even though he went breathless in the aftermath, Nie Huaisang still had the determination to keep up his fingers' motions, eventually pulling Jiang Cheng over with him.

Afterward, they lay together with Nie Huaisang curled against Jiang Cheng's side, the sweat cooling on their bodies. Jiang Cheng could feel a touch of wetness against his skin; he looked down to Nie Huaisang's face where tear tracks shone in the light from the TV. He lifted a hand to his lover's head and stroked his hair back.

“It's all right.” He had no idea what he was saying, if it was the right thing or not – he only knew he needed to say something to try to make Nie Huaisang feel better. “Anyone who doesn't see what an amazing man you are is an idiot.”

He could feel a low chuckle against his chest. Nie Huaisang's eyes lifted up to meet his and the other man blinked, his gaze softening. “And you deserve to be with someone who likes you for you, not just someone you can tolerate because your families want you together.”

Jiang Cheng had to close his eyes at that. He didn't quite believe the words, but he appreciated the sentiment. Nie Huaisang squeezed him about the waist, then Jiang Cheng placed a kiss on his brow before grabbing for the nearest blanket to drag up over their naked bodies.

And for a few hours, they were both able to sleep in peace.

Nie Huaisang stood by the airport gate, his heart in his throat and his hands in his pockets, trying to figure out how to say goodbye.

The day had started better than any other he'd had lately, waking up in the arms of a naked man more gorgeous than he could ever ask for. He and Jiang Cheng had kissed and touched until the hotel concierge rang with their wake-up call, and when they'd gone about getting dressed and gathering their things to head for the airport, despite the occasional bashful look, it had felt strangely natural and domestic, as if they'd done it many times before.

The first reminder of reality had come when they had split up to do their check-ins – Nie Huaisang had received the news that his flight was delayed. He had already known they were on different flights to Ottawa, but now their departures were an hour apart. They'd stopped together for a quick breakfast, then had gone to the gate where Jiang Cheng's flight was to leave and spent an hour chatting, enjoying each others' company for as long as they could.

And now the boarding had been called, and Jiang Cheng had to go.

Nie Huaisang wished he didn't have to say goodbye so soon.

“Here.” Jiang Cheng handed him a business card that was printed with the name Marius Jiang, OAA. He flipped it around to see Jiang Cheng written in pen with a phone number beneath it. “There's no obligation, just... if you ever want to go for coffee sometime, or need a friend to talk to.”

Though he was suddenly overcome with emotion, Nie Huaisang gave Jiang Cheng a thankful smile. He took out the piece of cardboard he'd stashed in his pocket – the cozy from his morning cup of coffee upon which he'd written his own number – and handed it to Jiang Cheng. “The same goes for you.”

Jiang Cheng took it with a simple nod.

“Last call for Flight AC783 to Ottawa.”

Jiang Cheng inhaled deeply through his nose. “All right. I hope you have a safe trip home.”

“You too.”

And then all he could do was watch helplessly as Jiang Cheng turned and left down the bridge to board the plane.

As he made the trek to the gate for his own flight, he tried to shake some sense into his head. He shouldn't have gotten attached. Nothing good ever came of rebounding into someone else's bed after getting one's heart broken. The thought of what Eric had done to him still stung and it was something he needed to work through, rather than forgetting it by obsessing over someone new.

He looked down at the card in his hand.

His lips turned up into a fond smile.

He knew allowing his thoughts to linger on Jaing Cheng was a bad idea... but he could already tell he was going to do it anyway. At least he'd managed to find a smidgen of comfort with someone kinder than he looked.

Nie Huaisang had spent most of the one-hour flight glancing at the business card in his hand and looking longingly out the window at the sun shining down on the ground below. He was startled by the announcement that the plane was going to be landing, having completely lost track of time. The stewardesses began their preparations for landing, checking overhead compartments and making certain everyone's seatbelts were done up. Soon enough, Nie Huaisang's stomach buoyed with excitement as the plane began its descent – there was always a very brief moment when the plane was about to touch down when his mind thought is this it? Is this when we crash? which always made the relief of a safe landing that much sweeter.

Everyone around him stood up and began gathering their things. He sighed and took out his phone to take it off Airplane Mode.

He had a text message from an unknown number.

Hi, this is Jiang Cheng. I hope you had a safe flight home. At the risk of coming off as a creep or a stalker... I know you hadn't told your family yet about what happened, and I was wondering how you were getting home.

Perhaps from someone else such a text would have felt creepy, but from Jiang Cheng, it just felt... nice to be worried over.

Hey! We just landed now. I'm fine, I have my bus pass to get home. I'll probably call my brother this afternoon to give him the news – he never liked my ex and will probably want to throw a party to celebrate the breakup.

He stood up and jostled around with the other passengers trying to make their way off the plane. He heard a ping on his phone as he walked and waited until he was out of the gate to step aside and check his messages.

At the risk of sounding worse than a creep or a stalker... my ride was delayed and is only arriving now, and I'm waiting for them at the exit outside the luggage pickup. We'd be more than happy to give you a ride home. Just like last night, you can say no, I wouldn't be offended.

...

Though it would make me really happy if you said yes.

He stopped to sit at a nearby block of seats, feeling a rush of emotion that had him feeling choked up.

I WANT to say yes. But... you know I have a lot to process, right? That I'm nowhere near ready to be involved with someone else.

...

This is why I said it was a bad idea.

He sat on the edge of his seat as he waited for the response.

I know... and yet we did it anyway. I have my own shit to work through. Just know you don't have to do it alone.

...

And if it makes any difference, we'll have three chaperones.

His fingers flew over the screen.

I'll be right there.

He shot out of the seat and rushed down the corridor, following the signs to the luggage claim. Amazingly, his bag was one of the first to drop – for once fate was on his side. He tried to ignore the butterflies in his stomach as he passed the rest of the people waiting for their bags and headed for the exit, a part of him terrified that Jiang Cheng wouldn't be there after all and had left already without him.

The cold winter wind hit his face the moment he stepped outside, but as he blinked through it, he spotted the familiar purple leather jacket.

Jiang Cheng had been waiting for him, and smiled the moment he saw him.

An SUV pulled to a stop and the passenger door opened, admitting someone that... Nie Huaisang knew.

“It took you long enough to get home, asshole.” The long-haired man in black and red bounced over to Jiang Cheng and grabbed his bag. He followed Jiang Cheng's eyes to Nie Huaisang. “Oh, hey! I know you from somewhere, don't I?”

He adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder. “Ah, yeah. You're Lan Zhan's new boyfriend, right? My brother's friends with Lan Xichen.”

“Yeah, Nie something or other, right?”

“Jiujiu!” The car's back door opened and a young boy shot out straight for Jiang Cheng, who caught the boy and swung him up in his arms. “You're back!”

“Mind your manners, brat,” Jiang Cheng chastised with far too much affection. “Here, let me introduce you. Nie Huaisang, this little guy is Jin Ling, and the jerk here is my best friend, Wei Wuxian.”

“It's nice to meet you.”

“I know him, Jiujiu.” Jin Ling waved to Nie Huaisang. “He's my Sifu's brother.”

Nie Huaisang chuckled. He didn't visit his brother enough to recognize any of his students, but he knew Nie Mingjue loved teaching the younger ones. “I guess it's a small world, isn't it.”

“However small it is...” a kind-faced woman stood by the driver's door, “if we're ready, we should go. Are we?”

Jiang Cheng looked from Nie Huaisang to the woman, who he assumed was his sister, and blushed. “I hope you don't mind, I offered Nie Huaisang a ride home. I'm sorry, Jiejie, I should have asked first.”

She smirked at her brother then looked over Nie Huaisang. “I'm happy to help out a friend of A-Cheng's – you can call me Jiang Yanli. We're not in a rush, though we should leave before security comes to complain that we're here too long.”

They all piled up into the car, Wei Wuxian in the front seat and Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang in the back with Jin Ling between them. As the vehicle left the airport, there was much talking and laughing between the two in the front...

The familiar sights and sounds of Ottawa made Nie Huaisang feel at home. He glanced aside and caught a look from Jiang Cheng. He smiled.

Jiang Cheng's lips tightened but his expression softened.

“Thank you,” he said softly, trying not to interrupt the conversation between the others.

“My pleasure,” Jiang Cheng mouthed back.

“Hey, Nie Huaisang?” Wei Wuxian looked back, his eyes dancing with mischief as he glanced between the two adults in the back. “Are you going to the Lans' for New Year's Eve? Because I was thinking of dragging A-Cheng along. I thought he could use some company after all the bull-”

“Wei Wuxian,” Jiang Yanli hissed.

“-bull hockey pucks that someone put Jiang Cheng through these last few weeks.”

He blushed. “Da-ge had said something about me being invited, though I hadn't made up my mind yet.”

Jiang Cheng shrugged. “I'll go if you go.”

Despite his hesitation, Nie Huaisang knew there was nowhere else he would rather be. “It's a deal.”

As the crowd on the TV screen began their countdown, two men slipped out the backdoor of Lan Xichen's semi-detached house.

“This is a bad idea,” Nie Huaisang giggled, having had several glasses of sparkling wine already. He tugged on Jiang Cheng's hand to pull him close.

“It is... but we're doing it anyway,” Jiang Cheng murmured, voice husky from a few glasses of scotch, as the others in the house joined the countdown shouting out four.

“Fuck yeah we're doing it anyway,” Nie Huaisang agreed, leaning up for a kiss just as the countdown hit one.

Nie Huaisang had never given much weight to resolutions or midnight kisses before, but for the first time in his life, this New Year actually felt like a new beginning.

“Happy New Year, Jiang Cheng.”

His lips were taken in another quick kiss that he wished would last forever.

“Happy New Year, Nie Huaisang.”

It would be, and they would embrace it together.

Fin