A Blooming Lotus

Jiang Cheng stood at the edge of one of the recently rebuilt piers, staring down at the lake's water. The first lotus flower of the season was opening not far from where he was standing. He'd seen it and frozen in place. His jaw was clenched as he mindlessly stared at the flower, his emotions churning in his gut. That was how Wei Wuxian found him.

"A-Cheng, there you are," Wei Wuxian called from the other end of the pier. "I've been looking all over for you. Decided to hide near the water, huh? How becoming of a-" He halted next to Jiang Cheng and studied the man's face. "A-Cheng? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Jiang Cheng snapped.

To his mortification, he could feel tears pooling in his eyes. He finally managed to rip his gaze away from the flower and turned his head so Wei Wuxian couldn't see his face anymore.

"A-Cheng?"

"Can't you leave me alone?"

Jiang Cheng didn't have to look at Wei Wuxian to know how he was probably frowning lightly in worry and how his hands were most likely twitching with the urge to touch him. Ever since Wen Zhuliu, touch had become difficult for Jiang Cheng.

He would never forget the day after they'd just arrived at Lotus Pier, when he'd been too consumed by his memories to hear Wei Wuxian coming and had reacted on instinct when Wei Wuxian had suddenly grabbed his arm. Zidian had flung Wei Wuxian across the room, hurting him far more than it should have.

Wei Wuxian had merely laughed in response to Jiang Cheng's worry though, proclaiming Jiang Cheng had grown so much stronger, that he'd grown up, how he was truly a match for the Sect Leader position, and so on, until Jiang Cheng's head had been spinning and he'd snapped for Wei Wuxian to shut up.

Later that evening, when they'd been lying in bed, Wei Wuxian had coaxed the truth out of him. He'd been horrified, but not for the reason Jiang Cheng had expected. He remembered vividly how distressed Wei Wuxian had become, thinking he'd been forcing unwanted touch on Jiang Cheng. He'd immediately proposed to sleep in separate beds and put rules in place. He'd even gone so far as assuring Jiang Cheng that they didn't have to have sex anymore before Jiang Cheng had managed to get a word in between.

They'd worked it out and Wei Wuxian was now a lot more conscious about when and how he touched Jiang Cheng, but Jiang Cheng still couldn't get the image of Wei Wuxian flying away from him after Zidian's hit out of his head. Wei Wuxian avoided the topic like the plague though.

"There's a lotus flower opening."

Wei Wuxian's soft, wistful voice pulled Jiang Cheng out of his own mind. Wei Wuxian's tone sounded much like how Jiang Cheng was feeling.

"I know," Jiang Cheng answered.

"A-Cheng?"

Jiang Cheng finally looked at Wei Wuxian again, only to see him standing there with slightly opened arms. He nodded once and Wei Wuxian stepped forward to envelop him in a hug.

"I miss them," Jiang Cheng said, the words easier now that he knew Wei Wuxian couldn't see his face anymore. "This- It's not the same. Lotus Pier isn't the same." His voice cracked at the end and he clenched his jaw again.

Wei Wuxian leaned back a little to press a soft kiss to Jiang Cheng's lips. He did it again and again until Jiang Cheng relaxed and responded. Their kiss was soft and chaste, a means to reassure, not something to turn heated.

"It is not the same," Wei Wuxian agreed, driving a knife through Jiang Cheng's heart. "But neither are we," he added. Wei Wuxian grinned. "This is A-Cheng's Lotus Pier now."