#huaining

[sumikoji]

hi i drew this in a fugue state bec i consumed all the nie huaisang/wen ning content there is in about 1 hour last night and i needed more. i think they need to kiss very badly

[hernandofuentes]

mdzs social media au | characters instagram.

[lotuspiertorturedungeon]

heartbeat // ningsang, 211 words

Nie Huaisang stopped sleeping in the months after his father's death.

He'd been an easy child, once— but in the wake of his step-mother's, then his mother's, then his father's deaths, nothing could calm the terror that it would be his brother next. Nothing, that was, but Nie Mingjue's patient insistence on letting his didi into his rooms. For nearly a year of his life, Nie Huaisang can't remember falling asleep even once without the steady, grounding reassurance of his da-ge's heartbeat against his ear.

After thirteen years of silence, a quiet that made his own chest feel hollow and lifeless, he doesn't think that he could ever bear to listen to another heartbeat again.

Maybe he is lucky, in a way.

The dead don't sleep, so he knows the quiet sobs that jolt him from this latest nightmare won't have woken Wen Ning. But he looks like they've just grabbed his attention, impossibly-dark eyes shifting a little slower than his arms do. Huaisang lets his own eyes screw shut the better to focus in on the sensation of being drawn in, held close with his face tucked safe against a chest colder than the late-autumn night around them.

It's the steady, merciful silence that pulls him back into sleep tonight.

[biwenqing]

brush strokes

Wen Ning tries to find a way to occupy himself while at the Cloud Recesses. He finds one of the students skipping class and spends the afternoon at their side. 

General | Word Count:  974 | ao3 

Pairing: WN/NHS (ft. nonbinary NHS)

The Cloud Recesses were beautiful and some of the hills reminded Wen Ning of his childhood home. But right now he was distracted from that because he wasn’t sure where his sister had gone off to. She had left him to explore the Cloud Recesses on his own while she did whatever it was that Uncle had tasked her with. It was lonely because he was not supposed to join the others during the Lans’ lessons.

Wen Ning was surprised when he spotted one of the other young masters who he was pretty sure should be in class. Moving quietly close, Wen Ning tried to see what they were doing and why they thought it was more important than class.

He couldn’t see their face, as the person was sitting facing away from him and towards the waterfall, tucked behind some bushes. They were hiding then. Wen Ning could see over their shoulder that they were painting a picture of the waterfall. The details they captured were intricate and the style reminded Wen Ning of some of the masterworks he had seen.

“That’s very beautiful,” Wen Ning said, moving to stand beside where they had seated themself on a rock, paper spread before them.

They yelped, knocking their carefully balanced inkstone. Wen Ning caught it before it could land on the ground and shatter. It was Nie Huaisang who stared back at him, hand clutched over their heart.

“I’m so sorry!” Wen Ning said, bowing and holding out the inkstone. “I didn’t mean to startle you, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Wen Ning peaked up to see that Nie Huaisang was bowing back. As they both straightened, Nie Huaisang shrugged. “I guess I was too focused on this to hear you approach.”

“You are very skilled,” Wen Ning enthused, feeling it should be said.

A light flush came to Nie Huaisang’s cheeks. “Thank you,” they said and took the inkstone back.

As they did, their fingers brushed Wen Ning’s and he felt something of a blush come to his own face. Wen Ning bit his lip before he said something comparing Nie Huaisang’s own beauty to the waterfall. The thought only made him blush harder.

Nie Huaisang settled back down while Wen Ning tried to untangle these new things he was feeling, returning to their painting. They were quite hidden here, in case anyone was to try and find what they were doing outside of class.

“Can I... um stay?” Wen Ning asked. He really didn’t have anything else to do and it would be nice to get to know Nie Huaisang better.

Nie Huaisang looked up, a small frown on their face. “Why?”

Wen Ning knew everyone was suspicious of his sister and cousin, and they probably had some right to be. Wen Qing tried to keep a lot of things from Wen Ning, but he had a general understanding of what was going on. And that made him sad because it left him even more alone.

But he decided to try to earn some trust from Nie Huaisang, by just telling the truth. “I want to watch you paint?”

Nie Huaisang didn’t look fully convinced, but they nodded and focused back on the waterfall. It was mesmerizing to see them bring it to life on the paper. And it was nice to have the companionship, especially when Nie Huaisang began to talk, revealing an impressive knowledge of artistic techniques. They explained the brush strokes and ink. They instructed Wen Ning on how to make more of the ink and how to make it the right consistency. Certainly not stuff most cultivators were taught, so Nie Huaisang must have taught themselves. It was exciting to learn about and Wen Ning found himself increasingly impressed with Nie Huaisang. Also possibly some other new feelings.

He was going to have to ask his sister about these that evening. But for now, he just enjoyed having the company. He didn’t want to think about any of these feelings too deeply, except to note the ways he was able to get Nie Huaisang to smile.

They were discovered by young master Wei sometime later. “I can’t believe you snuck off without me,” Wei Wuxian complained to Nie Huaisang, tossing his hands in the air. “You are clearly not sick like you said.” He crouched by Nie Huaisang’s other side and looked past them. “Hello, Wen Ning!”

“Hello,” Wen Ning managed, standing. “I should find my sister.”

“Thank you for the company,” Nie Huaisang said, looking up at him, a true smile on their face.

“Thank you for the lesson!” Wen Ning said back, quickly bowing.

“Well, if you ever want to try painting on your own, feel free to find me,” Nie Huaisang said, standing to give a brief bow as well.

“Oh,” Wen Ning nodded. “I... I would like that.” Nie Huaisang handed the finished picture of the waterfall to him and he was quick to protest. “Oh, I can’t take this! It is much too fine.”

“You’re doing me a favor, hide the evidence,” Nie Huaisang winked and turned to start packing up their supplies. Wei Wuxian was poking at them and Nie Huaisang swatted at his hand.

“A-alright,” Wen Ning said, holding the art reverently. “See you later.” He managed before hurrying away.

His heart felt as if he had been running, not sitting for hours. He decided it would be best if he prepared dinner for himself and Wen Qing, even as his mind showed him nothing but snippets of Nie Huaisang’s smile and voice.

The painting in his hands was a solid reminder that the day had really happened. And that they wanted to see him again, and were willing to teach him! Wen Ning found he couldn’t stop smiling as he carefully placed the painting beside his bed before turning to cook.

[arcenciells]

got back into the mdzs fandom and im legit gonna cry why does no one ship ningsang

[sumikoji]

haha hiiiii 👉👈 more huaining for your viewing pleasure

p.s. HAPPY BIRTHDAY NIE HUAISANG I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!! 🥳🥳

[lotuspiertorturedungeon]

ink-stained // ningsang, 236 words

Wen Ning watches the brush move and has to remind himself to blink occasionally. There's something strange rising in his chest, what he would call breathless if he still needed air.

When Nie Huaisang had asked to paint him, he'd been...more than just surprised. He'd been half waiting for an awful twist of the knife — You know, I've been so eager to study something truly hideous, you're just perfect, Wen-xiong, — but since they sat down, Nie Huaisang hasn't said a word. There's an odd seriousness in his pinched brow and the longer he watches the Nie sect-master paint, the more Wen Ning realizes he doesn't understand what is happening or why.

Why, of all Nie Huaisang’s friends, he asked the stiff-faced, blighted corpse to pose for him. Why, with access to all the beautiful things in the world—

Nie Huaisang looks up again, suddenly, and the thought vanishes under the clarity in those eyes.

“I might never be satisfied with this,” he admits like a secret, the words nearly lost in a soft, almost shy smile which Wen Ning desperately wants to kiss off his face.

He's still looking at him, careful and intent, like… like he's gazing at something beautiful. After another moment Huaisang laughs reedily and tilts his face back toward the paper not quite quickly enough to hide a rising blush.

Wen Ning finds himself sitting a little straighter after that.

[lotuspiertorturedungeon]

how are your lungs?  ||  wen ning / nie huaisang

tracklist under the cut 🎼

meet me in the woods — lord huron

new perspective — panic! at the disco

weight of living, pt. i — bastille

human — dodie clark

bad ideas — tessa violet

goner — twenty one pilots

monsters — mree

broken — lovelytheband

would you be so kind — dodie clark

night time — the xx

between my teeth — orla gartland

someone to stay — vancouver sleep clinic

this land is mine — dido

like real people do — hozier