I think this update can best be summarized as "Killian shouldn't be trusted with chaptered fics" made even more embarrassing by the fact that uh, I actually finished writing this about 11 months ago...I just have to type and edit 60k+ words so uh. here we are, finally posting chapter two a year later XD

anyway, plz enjoy some family tension and cooking adventures :D

"Do you have a job yet?" Nie Mingjue asks, startling Nie Huaisang from his thoughts and back to their conversation.

"I've followed up with a few places that have my resume on file," he says, avoiding any specifics. He gets a heavy, frustrated sigh in response, and braces himself for a lecture.

"What are you doing all day? You should at least be going to interviews."

Nie Huaisang doesn't meet his eyes. "I haven't had any recently, but—"

"So you're just screwing around all day?" he cuts in, talking over him. "Is that what you're telling me?"

"That's not that I said," he snaps, and immediately tries to backpedal, dropping all the frustration from his voice. "I mean, I just haven't really heard back from anywhere, yet—"

"Then you should be trying harder. You have time to be on your phone all the time; you should be using that time for something more meaningful."

Why does he bother meeting his brother for lunch when it always goes like this? He loves him dearly, but sometimes he just wants to scream; it's like talking to a brick wall when he gets like this.

"Huaisang, are you listening to me?"

He sits up straighter. "Yes—" he tries, only to get interrupted immediately.

"I said, they're hiring at the precinct," he says.

Nie Huaisang stiffens, gripping his thighs to keep from blowing up. "That's not at all related to my degree," he reminds him, despite knowing it never works. Hope springs eternal and all that bullshit.

"Nonsense. I can put in a good word for you."

"I don't want to work there." The more time they spend together, the more they argue, and the last thing he wants is to fight with his brother in the workplace.

Nie Mingjue levels him with an angry, judgmental glare. "You're not working. It'll get something on your resume, since you've never done anything—"

"I had two internships in college, you just don't think they count!"

"They don't!" he roars, just as their waitress walks up. She turns on a heel and checks on another table, and Nie Huaisang can't blame her. He'd rather be anywhere but here.

"It's a competitive field," he says, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"Stop making excuses for your laziness," Nie Mingjue snaps. "You never take anything seriously."

Nie Huaisang knows better than to push it further. His brother's temper is unmatched, and he's not ready to watch any more of his belongings go up in flames. Instead, he lowers his head and focuses on the remains of his meal. His appetite is long gone, but it keeps his own temper from getting worse.

･x･x･x･x･x･

Nie Huaisang leaves the restaurant in a foul mood, angry and crushed all at once. The last thing he wants to do is go home and stew in his bad mood all alone, but he's not really up to hearing any of his friends prattle on about their perfect lives. His finger hovers over the button for Grindr, only for his phone to start ringing before he can open it up.

"Hello—"

"What are you doing tonight?" Jiang Cheng asks, the harshness in his voice translating to almost painful static over the phone.

He chuckles. "Why? Desperate for my company?"

He hears the eye roll through the phone. "Fine, asshole, I'll call someone else."

"C'mon, don't be like that," he coos, plugging his phone into his car. If he's going over to Jiang Cheng's, he'll end up in rush hour traffic, or at least the beginning of it, unless he leaves immediately.

"I'm cooking dinner," he explains.

"Oh, no."

"Laugh it up. You can't cook either!"

Something about it hits a nerve and Nie Huaisang snaps out a reply with more venom than usual. "Fuck you."

There's a staticky pause. He realizes how harsh he was, but Jiang Cheng breaks the awkward silence before he has to explain himself. "Sorry. Look, my sister said I should try cooking dinner once a week, and I invited you so I don't just make a whole meal for myself."

Nie Huaisang sighs. "It's fine," he starts, pinching the bridge of his nose while he waits for a light to change. "I just left lunch with my brother, but dinner later sounds good."

"I see."

"Oh, don't say that."

"What? You're always in a shitty mood after seeing him."

Leave it to Jiang Cheng to actually pick up on the problem. Somehow, he picks the worst times to be perceptive about an emotional issue. "Is it that obvious?"

"Maybe? I don't know. I just know you," he says simply, as though being the only person in Nie Huaisang's life to notice when something is wrong isn't a big deal.

He groans. "Yeah, yeah, fine. You pay attention sometimes."

"Asshole."

"You're the asshole who didn't say hello when I answered the phone."

"Like you care!"

"Maybe I'll teach you some manners someday," he teases, merging onto the highway. It doesn't look terrible yet, so it looks like his luck hasn't completely failed him today.

"If you do, you'll prove every matchmaker on this coast wrong."

Nie Huaisang bursts into laughter. "Was the date that bad?"

"I thought it was fine—"

"Oh, it was. Did you insult her clothes or her makeup this time?" he teases, grateful for the reminder that he's in no position to judge Nie Huaisang's shortcomings without considering his own. Jiang Cheng swears colorfully and Nie Huaisang laughs again. "Oh wow, even worse than that?"

"Fuck you!" Jiang Cheng yells, but there's the beginning of laughter in it. "I told her that if I'd known she wore so much perfume, I would have asked for a table outside."

"Jiang Cheng!"

"I wasn't trying to be rude!"

"Of course you weren't," he agrees, and he knows he's telling the truth. "But it's still rude."

"My mom already tore into me, okay? I get it," he grumbles.

"Sorry, sorry, we can move on. What time are you off?"

"Five. I'm just on break."

"Well, I'm already on the way. I hate getting stuck in the traffic near your place."

"Yeah, yeah, I know it sucks."

Nie Huaisang shrugs, too caught up in conversation to care that Jiang Cheng can't see him. "I'll just let myself in."

"Eh, whatever," he agrees, nonplussed. "Wait! Can you get a few groceries on your way?"

"What, no food in your apartment?" he asks, rolling his eyes.

"You were there last week," he says, as though that explains it better.

"I don't take inventory of your pantry every time I come over, Jiang Cheng."

"Whatever, can you do it or not?"

Despite his utter disinterest in shopping for groceries, he agrees. "Text me a list," he says, sighing. "Jerk."

"I'm going to cook you dinner!"

"Is that a threat?"

Jiang Cheng bursts into laughter. "Asshole. I'll see you later- I gotta get back to work."

"Don't forget the list!"

"I won't!"

Nie Huaisang says goodbye and hangs up, flicking through playlists on his phone while the inevitable traffic catches up to him. At least there's a grocery store around the corner from Jiang Cheng's apartment, so he won't have to detour along the way.

･x･x･x･x･x･

"Honey, you're late," Nie Huaisang teases from his seat on the couch. Jiang Cheng's keys are still in his hand and he rolls his eyes dramatically before hanging them up by the door.

"I was stuck in traffic," he explains, slipping his shoes off.

"Dinner's gone cold," he jokes, draping an arm over his eyes dramatically. "And after I slaved over it for hours…" Jiang Cheng flicks the top of his head on the way to the kitchen. "Hey!"

"My hand slipped."

Nie Huaisang laughs. "I got your list, and some wine."

"Thanks." Jiang Cheng peers into the fridge with the intensity of a man on a mission. "Fuck, there's so much in here now."

"You gave me a huge list without any quantities," he whines. "What did you expect?"

"I don't know, I don't go grocery shopping that often, I guess."

"Obviously," Nie Huaisang says, as if this wasn't the first time he'd been in a grocery store in at least a month.

Jiang Cheng shrugs and starts pulling things out, glancing between the fridge and his phone the whole time. Nie Huaisang finally gets up from the couch to join him in the kitchen, finding the seat at the island with the best view. Neither of them are accomplished chefs - or even passable ones - but he has to give Jiang Cheng credit for trying. They're both reliant on takeout and instant food, and he supposes one of them had to make an attempt to learn eventually.

"My sister says thanks, by the way," Jiang Cheng says, carefully laying out carrots to wash and peel. "You know, for Jin Ling—"

"Oh, don't remind me," he whines. "If I ever have to go into a toy store again, it'll be too soon."

"You offered," he reminds him, and Nie Huaisang sighs dramatically.

"Because I'm the greatest friend you could ask for."

Jiang Cheng barks out a laugh and takes the vegetables to the sink. Between the sounds of running water and Jiang Cheng swearing under his breath, it feels like they're playing make believe at being adults. Dealing with his brother certainly makes Nie Huaisang feel like a stupid little kid again, no matter how much he tries to ignore it. It's stupid; he shouldn't let it get to him. And yet—

"Huaisang?" Jiang Cheng asks, worry pulling at his face in a way that makes Nie Huaisang's stomach churn.

"What?"

"I asked- uh, do you wanna help me chop some veggies?" he repeats.

"I thought you were cooking for me," he teases, reaching across the counter for the cutting board and a knife.

"I'll cook it," he grumbles, and Nie Huaisang laughs. This is better. Doing something with his hands is a distraction he sorely needs. "Can you dice this onion?"

"Sure," he agrees, taking it. "Where do you want it?"

He sets a bowl between the two of them and taps it with a knife wordlessly. Nie Huaisang makes a noise of agreement, slowly working through his single onion while Jiang Cheng mutilates a carrot on the countertop. At least this is a rental; there are going to be knife marks on it forever at this rate. They're somehow bad in completely different ways, enough that Nie Huaisang keeps snickering when either of them adds anything to the bowl.

"This is a disgrace," Nie Huaisang says, looking into the bowl of vegetables. "They shouldn't all be different sizes."

Jiang Cheng takes it over to the stove and nearly spills it with the force of setting it down. "You can't cook, either."

"I don't have to be a monster to know how to critique."

"You helped!"

Nie Huaisang grins, leaning on the counter to watch him at the stove. He's making a concerted effort to do it well, at the very least, though he's withholding judgment until he tastes the final result. "So I can insult it as much as I want!"

Jiang Cheng manages to make a shrug as dramatic as rolling his eyes and ignores him, all his focus spent on cooking. Nie Huaisang swipes through apps on his phone, only half interested in whatever his brother is still texting him or today's Twitter drama. The surprisingly good smells coming from the stove are far more intriguing than anything online, especially combined with the eye candy and annoyed swearing. There's nothing wrong with admiring a good friend's ass; it's not like anyone would notice anyway.

"Fuck!" Jiang Cheng yelps, dropping the plastic spoon he'd been using- or at least what's left of it. The pungent smell of melting plastic overpowers everything else, ruining any sense of relaxation in the kitchen.

"What are you doing over there?" Nie Huaisang asks, trying his best not to laugh.

Jiang Cheng swears again. "This is a useless fucking spoon," he says, grabbing it and throwing it in the trash aggressively. It's the final straw for Nie Huaisang and he bursts into laughter, which only makes Jiang Cheng more flustered. "Shut up!"

"I didn't saying anything—"

"You're laughing!"

Nie Huaisang tries to stop and ends up laughing harder instead, pointing back at the stove. "Is- is it supposed to be on fire?"

"No!" he roars, pulling the pan off the stove and, for lack of a better plan, he tosses it in the sink and turns the water on.

They stare at the sopping remains of what could have been dinner wordlessly, until Jiang Cheng finally reaches over and turns off the sink. There's another beat of silence, and Nie Huaisang raises a single eyebrow. "So…that looks appetizing…" he teases lightly.

"I should have thrown that spoon at you," Jiang Cheng says, failing to hide the laughter in his eyes.

He shrugs. "Delivery again? I won't snitch."

"I— Yeah, I guess that's a better idea," he agrees, eyeing the sad remains in the sink.

"Were you going to try to salvage that soggy mess? No, thank you!"

"Maybe—"

"Nope!"

"Sometimes you can save these things—"

"Not this time," Nie Huaisang says gravely, shaking his head. "Gimme your phone; you're paying."

Jiang Cheng rolls his eyes but doesn't complain, handing it over. "I guess I did promise you dinner."

"You sure did," he agrees. "Better luck next time, Jiang Cheng."