xicheng fics

with lips stained red - part 1

Despite trying to deny it, Jiang Cheng has always been an indulgent person. Anyone, who cared enough to look beyond the cruel and uncaring Sandu Shengshou image he created , could see it. With the way he raised Jin Ling, while strict and firm, he turned a blind eye to some of his nonsense, even when Jin Ling back-talked him or showed attitude, Jiang Cheng would sometimes just brush it off with an eye roll and the wave of his hand. In the past, he indulged his older sister too, when she wanted to practice her makeup skills on someone other than herself, and Jiang Cheng was never one to say 'no' to his A-jie. The memory seemed so far away now, blurring along the edges of his subconscious, of a better time, part of the few moments of his childhood that he can look back on fondly.

"A-Cheng," A-jie would call out as she entered his room, arms filled with boxes and delicate porcelain he doesn't recognize, "will you let me put makeup on you?"

And his younger self would just nod eagerly and sat quietly while his A-jie does her work, fussing over every little detail. He always used to giggle softly as she pressed the power onto his face, his eyelids tickled when she gently brushed the soft purple eyeshadow, and how she'd always tell him: "Okay, A-Cheng, now smack your lips together to make the lip balm even prettier!"

Jiang Cheng would obediently follow his A-jie 's instructions and she'd just beam at him, praising her hard work, and 'You're so pretty, A-Cheng!'

Even when Wei Wuxian entered the picture, he and A-jie still did their thing, now they included Wei Wuxian as well, his A-jie was so happy to have another face to practice on. Even if Wei Wuxian was annoying and constantly teased him, calling him shimei, and pinching his cheeks, sometimes he would ungracefully smear rouge all over Jiang Cheng's mouth. Jiang Cheng just huffed and rolled his eyes, and he would retaliate by painting Wei Wuxian's eyelids with the most obnoxious shade of orange eyeshadow A-jie owned.

It continued even when they were teenagers, whenever A-jie was bored, and Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian didn't have afternoon practice, she would make herself comfortable in his and Wei Wuxian's shared bedroom, her makeup supplies sprawled across the table as she did her handiwork on them. Jiang Cheng loved these moments so much, he could allow all the tension to drain away from his shoulders, he doesn't have to think about A-Die's disappointed looks or A-Niang's words of contempt, Jiang Cheng didn't have to prove anything for his A-jie, there was no competition or ranks or anything.

His year-long stay at the Cloud Resseses was equal parts fun and dreadful, Wei Wuxian's early departure after punching the peacock certainly didn't help. Sometimes he'd feel so homesick, the Gusu foods pale in comparison to the flavours of Yunmeng, especially his A-jie's cooking. Sometimes when Nie Huaisang dragged him out to Caiyi Town, he would find himself staring at all the pretty shades of eyeshadows, he desperately wanted to buy them, but Nie Huaisang would always catch him and tease him.

"Oh-oh-oh, Jiang-xiong, are you eyeing a maiden to woo?" Nie Huaisang would say, hiding his smirk behind his fan, and Jiang Cheng would roll his eyes and call him ridiculous.

(He would come back later, on his own, and purchase a few shades, for A-jie, he would tell himself.)

It was not that he didn't want to make friends while he was studying but ugh, Lan Wangji was too..... Lan Wangji, even looking at the peacock sent his blood pressure high, and Nie Huaisang wouldn't leave him alone, even if Jiang Cheng grumbled and tried to push him away.

So when he accidentally made friends with the First Jade of Gusu Lan, Lan Xichen, Jiang Cheng felt a bit dizzy. He ran into Lan Xichen one faithful morning, on his way to breakfast, and ungracefully bumped into him, and Jiang Cheng wanted to die right then and there, of all the people to run into, of course, it would be Lan-da-gongzi. Somehow, even after that mess, Lan Xichen still wanted to talk to him, sect heir to sect heir, and who was Jiang Cheng to say no?