Chapter Text
Tags:
platonic NieYao, sleep deprivation does things to people's logic, misunderstandings, fluff, crack, Meng Yao/Better Life Choices
Prompt:
Mingjue is glad he'd promoted Meng Yao to such a high position, the young man was both a hard worker and skilled at handling the problems that often stacked up in ways that left Mingjue frustrated to the point he feared early Qi Deviation.
One night, after a week of obnoxious amounts of paperwork and dealing with people who suddenly can't seem to do their jobs, Mingjue tells the aide he's grateful to have had Meng Yao by his side for the chaos, and thanks the Meng Yao for his efforts and assistance.
Meng Yao... does not react the way Mingjue thought he would.
Meng Yao's smile turns careful, the way Mingjue had started to learn how to spot, the way that meant it was fake.
Meng Yao demures, ever humble even when (especially when) he should be crowing his victories.
And then he grabs Minjue's face and checks his temperature with the inside of his wrist pressed against Mingjue's forehead.
Checks Mingjue's eyes and pulse and asks if Mingjue is feeling well.
Prods Mingjue's Qi gently with his own to check for deviation, and then when Mingjue says that he is not unwell, Meng Yao slaps a talisman he'd pulled from somewhere onto Mingjue.
Mingjue pulls the talisman off, realises it is for combating possession and all but growls at Meng Yao and demands to know why Meng Yao is behaving so erratically, because it's not like Mingjue has never thanked him before.
Meng Yao stills, and ducks his head apologising, pulling back into himself.
Mingjue grabs him by the chin and tilts his head to bring his gaze back to Mingjue. This close he can see the fine powder on Meng Yao's face, and he can see what it's hiding, how tired his aide is under the cosmetics.
“Have I truly never told you before, how grateful I am for your assistance?” Mingjue asks, but surely he must have? He must have said it at some point? He wracks his memory.
“With respect sect leader, I remember everything that has ever been said to me, and this is a first between us.”
And Mingjue realises, he and Meng Yao understand things differently, while Mingjue had conveyed his thanks through physical gestures – a pat on the back, a short shoulder squeeze – Meng Yao need to hear the words, he hadn't heard Mingjue's thanks in the quiet touches.
Mingjue – a little awkwardly because he's not good at (or used to) expressing his feelings verbally – tells Meng Yao that he has always been thankful for his help and hard work, and apologises for not conveying that properly, in a way that Meng Yao understood.
Meng Yao, getting slightly flustered, thanks him and promises to try to learn to how Mingjue expresses himself.
And then Mingjue sends Meng Yao off for food and sleep because he needs a snack and a goddamn nap. In the morning they begin figuring each other out a little bit better, and things go less awful than canon in the aftermath.