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truly-morgan · 8 months

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[Platonic, raising a kid together, feat. aroace JC]

ChengYao | Mo Dao Zu Shi Modern AU 02-06-2021

[platonic #chengyao modern, family]

where aroace!JC decide to take care of jl when the couple and his parents die tragically in an accident. jgs seem rather satisfied in a way, he's getting too old to take care of an infant (a nanny would probably have done it), while mdm jin seems a bit unsure. "Will you be able to support jl?", "Are you eventually going to get married?", "You know, it would be good for jl (and you) not to bring him up alone", "You cannot stay alone forever, I can help you if you need it".

But eventually, she does accept to let jc keep jl with him. Conditions are rather simple: being able to see their grandchild at least once a month and making sure jl isn't missing anything important to his growth.

jc is also given money each month, but he feels a bit awkward using it for himself, so he uses it for everything related to jl needs (and puts some on the side so he can enter a good school without him needing to ask for the money).

but raising jl alone /is/ hard, especially with college, the still rather recent death of his family and while also missing wwx who had disappeared months ago without leaving many traces behind other than an apology for leaving. He's still worried his brother got into some serious problems.

jc is seriously weighing the pros and cons of leaving college to work full time when he receives the visit of someone. The red dot between his brows gives him a good idea of which family he is from (it's the same one he makes sure jl is also wearing) but his memory fails him to really remember who he is (his near-constant anxiety has been messing with his memory too). "Jin Guangyao" smiles the man, waiting patiently as jc's eyes roam his face, clearly searching in his memory.

Then it finally lands. jzx half-brother! He also vaguely remembers jgy being at the nie brother's house at the same time as he was to meet with nhs (he wonders slightly how nhs is doing, they haven't talked in a while). he quickly let the man in, offering him something to drink ("Hope the tea is to your taste" he says, knowing the jin's often prefer expensive teas rather than the cheap ones he can afford).

He's a bit anxious, sitting on his side of the table with jl in his arm, drinking his milk. Why did jgy suddenly want to meet at /his/ cheap apartment (most not be the greatest look on him, he /could/ afford better with the money the jin send him).

jgy is quick to somewhat reassure him, he simply wanted to meet his nephew too (jc wondered why he couldn't have done so when he was visiting jgs and mdm jin, but don't ask) they chat a bit, jgy trying to learn a bit about how jl is doing and how jc is managing everything. they talk until close to dinner, jc asking if he wants to stay for dinner (more out of courtesy than because he can afford to feed another grown man). With a smile, jgy (thankfully) declined, saying he doesn't want to bother him.

This visit leaves jc anxious. sure he had managed to convince jgs and mdm jin to let him take care of jl, but what if jgy now wanted to take jl in. sure, according to jgy own words, he was not as close to jzx and jc was with jyl, but he still had a good relationship with him and wanted to also be part of his brother's son life.

the thought fills jc with fear. jl is his /one and only/ family left, he doesn't know if he would be able to continue without this little ray of sunshine around. jc is not stupid, he's pretty sure jgy has more than enough money to take care of himself and a growing child. jc needs to rely on the money given to him to pay for what jl needs without starving himself to do so.

after that, jgy always messages him before coming, wanting to make sure he doesn't bother them. the man is always nice and patient with him, even though his nearly constant smiling face makes jc uncomfortable and anxious at times (sometimes it just looks a bit... off).

but everything seems alright, nothing shows him that jgy actually wants to take jl away from him. He never comments on the fact that jl always has the rather nice and good stuff, while jc is still wearing clothes he already had for years and eating cheap food.

though, he does show care for more than jl. "You look tired today, did you study all night? I can look over jl while you sleep a bit" (he did study all night and then worked all day), "Did you eat properly? You seem a bit thinner" (his hours were cut and he had to reduce grocery for himself), "Finals are coming right? Do you need some help to study? I know how hard it can get" (finals are coming too quickly).

It takes time, but eventually, jc gets used to jgy being over and helping around a bit. He gets to learn a bit more about jgy (He was raised poor, hence why he seems to know so well what jc is going through and doesn't judge and help around instead).

two years go by rather quickly like this, leading to jc graduating and looking for a stable job (maybe he'll finally be able to have a stable salary and a better place, he already move to somewhere more decent, but it's still not the best).

by that time, jgy is already part of the routine he has, but also the top person on the list of people to contact if he ever needs help. He's also the only jin he actually feels comfortable being more himself around, since he already understood jgy wasn't there to find fault.

"mdm jin wonders if you have had someone in your heart recently" points out jgy one time as they have dinner at his place, jl sleeping near them.

The question immediately makes jc tense, which makes jgy smile fall a bit (jc pointed out he doesn't always need to force a smile on his face when he's with him).

jgy quickly wonder if he asked something too personal, as he tried asking simply because the rare times he does meet with mdm jin, she would ask about it ("You seem close to jc, aren't you? Did he finally started dating?")

He had wondered a bit too, since he had never seen jc with anyone else before. But there was also never a trace of anyone else at the young man's house, apart from his own frequent visit. With how much jc was working and studying, it felt like he never would have had the time for dating.

"You don't need to-"

"Will she take away a-ling if I don't find someone?" asked jc, sounding a weird mix of tired, scared and anxious. The man looked as though needing to date someone would be an annoying task, rather than something pleasant.

"No?" he says, more as a question since he wonders where jc took this, "I think she just worries that you cut yourself from meeting people so you can take care of a-ling" he replies.

jc doesn't seem convinced. mdm jin had many times brought back the subject, and it had also included how it would probably be better if jl had two parents.

"And what if I don't want to date? What if I /never/ wanted to date?" jc asks, sounding a bit angrier at that, because it was not the first time someone was trying to force something on him. Was it really /that/ weird that he had never wanted to date anyone? That he had never fallen in love before? Many were raised with only one parent without a problem, was it so bad for him to do it like this too?

jgy seemed a bit taken aback, as he had not expected this reaction from jc. the younger man quickly realised he had vented his anger on the wrong person, he could see jgy wasn't meaning anything bad.+

"S-sorry, I didn't mean to vent on you, I am just... tired of being asked all the time" he quickly apologised, looking at his tea instead of jgy.

jgy soft smile quickly came back, trying to sound reassuring "It is alright not to want to date, I personally just wanted to make sure you weren't privating yourself if you wanted one".

He was rather happy when he saw tension leaving his shoulders, his face a bit more relaxed too. a more comfortable silence settled down, the both of them slowly sipping the tea. yet, jgy couldn't stop thinking about the way he had said it.

"You never wanted to date?" he asked. he didn't push when jc didn't immediately answer, before shaking his head. "No... is it that weird? I just... never felt like that for anyone" he finally confessed.

jgy was the second person he ever told. He sure hoped he would be as understanding as wwx (though maybe not as confused as the teen had been, it had been quite the night, trying to explain his lack of attraction, but in the end, wwx understood and accepted it).

"Not weird, I think one of my friends is similar to you" admitted jgy, clearly thinking about it. "he did try dating, but he said he doesn't feel anything for his partner so he broke up and never did it again".

jc was a bit curious about who it was, wondering if talking to him would make him encounter someone who /understands/ him really. "Do you want to date?" jc ended up asking after a while. He had also noticed the lack of anyone else living here (other than the occasional visit from his best friends he seemed to have).

"I think I've had enough the last time, I'll probably wait a bit before doing it again, didn't end very well, to be honest".

The rest of the night went with jc talking about how he feels about all this, while jgy ended up telling some story of his rather not-so-good dating life. They came out of this night a bit closer, knowing that the other wouldn't judge on anything, even this.

As time went by they only grew closer. Even if jc didn't have a wife, jl ended up growing up with two parental figures around him, as jgy was often around.

at some point, jc ended up simply moving in with jgy, as it was easier than always doing the travelling between their houses. It was also easier to take care of jl, as they wouldn't need to drop him all the time. Everything and everyone was in the same house now, much easier.

mdm jin did seem a bit curious, but seeing how both men were seriously taking care of jl without a problem she never commented on it (she still believed maybe one day they would marry someone). at some point (when jl was entering his late childhood), jc did wonder if jgy wanted to date "I wouldn't want to be in the way".

but jgy had admitted this was enough for him. He had something he could call a family (even if a bit unusual) and didn't feel the need for romance. (though he did promise to tell him if he ever felt the want to).

jc was indeed happy himself like this. It was really nice to have someone else he could call family in a way.

===

(I had a sudden want for platonic chengyao taking care of jl, but also aroace!JC finding someone who accepts and understands him)

Original

#tweet archive #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #chengyao #jiang cheng #jin guangyao #jin ling #modern au #platonic couple #raising a kid #child caretaking #aroace jiang cheng #aroace headcanon

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unclewaynemunson · 6 months

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Pt2 to this post

'Is something wrong?' Nancy asks, not long after the two of them have taken their familiar spots on the hood of Steve's car. They're basking in what might be the last warm sunlight of the year, looking out over the quarry, at a safe distance from the edge.

It's become a tradition the two of them share, ever since they reconnected back in March. It calms them both, to just sit here and take in the view, no one around but each other. Nancy is one of the few people Steve can share a comfortable silence with: sometimes they sit here quietly for what feels like hours, side by side, listening to music or to nothing but the birds singing around them. But they also have their best conversations here: it's the place where Nancy entrusted him she wanted to break up with Jonathan; it's the place where they talked about their shared past and decided they would always love each other as friends; it's the place where they finally talked about Barbara in a way they couldn't when they were younger. It's where Nancy talked about the ghosts still haunting her and Steve talked about how lonely he sometimes felt.

Steve huffs. 'How did you guess?'

'When you frown, you always do it with your whole face,' Nancy notes. 'So it's hard to miss, really.'

Steve glances at her side profile. There's a serenity to her features that's still relatively new. It means she's healing, slowly learning how to be happy again. It means she stopped waiting for the end of the world and started believing in a real future again. It makes Steve proud of how far they both have come.

'I had a fight with Eddie,' he confesses. 'And with Dustin, I guess.'

'What happened?'

He sighs. 'It's complicated.'

'Wanna tell me about it?'

The look in her eyes is kind and inviting. Steve hesitates. He wants to, but he doesn't know if he can. It's a risk. It's scary.

But he can't imagine Nancy Wheeler ever being careless with his secrets. He can't imagine her judging him, can't imagine her being as small-minded as most people in this town.

He was planning on telling her anyway, because things had been going so well with Eddie lately and – no, he shouldn't think about that right now. But maybe it would actually be nice to talk about it with Nancy.

'So, um...' His throat feels tight and his hands are sweaty. 'I recently discovered some things about myself. I-' The words get stuck somewhere on the way to his mouth, and he clears his throat.

Nancy doesn't push, but only gives him an encouraging nod, waiting for him to find his voice again.

'I found out I like boys,' he finally manages to confess. 'And I need you to know that – that that doesn't mean that what I felt for you wasn't real. It was. I loved you, and now I fell in love with a boy. And-'

'Steve.' Nancy's hand suddenly covers his, causing him to finally jerk his head away from the view over the quarry, to focus on her face again instead.

Her eyes are wide, and she squeezes his hand.

'You don't have to explain yourself to me,' she tells him. 'We're good. But thank you for telling me. For trusting me with this.'

Steve heaves out a relieved sigh, and Nancy smiles; it's that genuine kind of smile which reveals all kinds of dimples and soft lines across her face.

'We might be more similar than you thought,' she tells him, a faint blush spreading over her cheeks.

'Really?' Her words make his breath catch in his throat. He squints at her, trying to see her in this new light. 'Are you saying what I think you're saying?'

She shrugs. 'I don't know. I'm not sure yet,' she admits. 'Still figuring things out.'

'Take your time, there's no rush,' he tells her. 'But...' He bumps his shoulder against hers. 'When you're done figuring it out, talk to me, okay?'

She nods. 'Okay.'

For a while, it's quiet between the two of them. Some kind of raptor circles high above them in the sky. They both follow it with their eyes until it disappears among the tree tops west of the quarry.

'Is it Eddie?'

Steve blinks dumbly a couple of times.

'Wha- what?'

'The guy you were talking about. The one you fell in love with. It's Eddie, isn't it?'

'Jesus, Wheeler, what kind of sorceress are you?' Steve exclaims.

Nancy laughs again. 'You're not being as subtle as you think,' she tells him. 'The two of you have been hooking up for a while now, haven't you?'

Steve huffs dramatically. 'This is unfair. You know everything; I can't even tell you my own secrets anymore!'

'So what happened?' Nancy asks. 'You said you had a fight with him?'

'It's fucking stupid,' he sighs. 'Dustin was getting way too excited about the fact that I was gonna be hanging out with you, so I told him I was seeing someone. Next thing I knew, he was telling Eddie all about how I was seeing a girl.' He waves his hands around to make annoyed air quotations. 'I wanted to tell Eddie it was a misunderstanding, but Dustin was there, so I couldn't out us just like that, and he looked so betrayed and heartbroken... He didn't wanna listen to me.'

Steve sighs; he still can't manage to forget that look in Eddie's eyes when Dustin delivered the big news. 'I wish I would've talked about what I felt for him earlier. I should've been honest when I had the chance, y'know. But I was afraid he wouldn't wanna label what we had, that he wouldn't feel the same way – and now we're in this whole mess. God, he must hate me right now, Nance.'

To his surprise, Nancy gives him an unexpected slap against his arm.

'Ouch, what the hell was that for?!'

'What are you even doing here with me, Steve? You should've gone after him, tell him how you feel!'

'I tried, obviously, but he didn't wanna listen to me!'

'So make him listen! You're in love with him, he obviously feels the same way about you, and you let him leave to wallow in a broken heart he doesn't even need to have!' She rolls her eyes and slides off the car, adding something under her breath that sounds suspiciously like an exasperated 'Boys!' before she pulls Steve off the car as well. 'C'mon, time to get your ass over to the trailer park. Right. Now,' she says through gritted teeth. And, well, Steve knows better than to argue with a determined - and truthfully quite terrifying - Nancy Wheeler.

Read the last part here Taglist: @withacapitalp @ultimatedreamer104 @irregular-child @jcmadgirl @estrellami-1 @myguiltyartpleasure @hallucinatedjosten @jaybren @thew1ldblueyonder @melodymeddler @alycatavatar @zoeweee @lolawonsstuff @fairy-princette @saramelaniemoon @phirex22 @krazyperson @xxsky-shockxx (I only put people on this list who explicitly asked to be tagged. That's really no problem, I love to do that so dw about asking, but I got a lot of relatively vague reactions to the previous post that i'm not gonna dissect and interpret, bc I don't wanna clog anyone's notes unwanted. So just to be clear: i consider it a huge compliment if anyone asks for a tag but please do it clearly if you do!)

#look i can and i will exploit the miscommunication trope until yall are sick and tired of it #bc steddie is actually the perfect couple for keeping that trope believable #they're idiots with terrible communication skills it's canon #they WOULD #“can't you just talk to him?” “wait what i can????” IT'S SO THEM OKAY #nancy is the only sane person here i don't make the rules #don't mind me rambling about stranger things #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #nancy wheeler #platonic stancy #(i love platonic stancy they mean the world to me)#(i truly didn't mean to trick anyone into reading about them this just kinda. happened. idk)#this is making me wanna write more about their friendship actually they deserve their own fic #stranger things #fruity ficlet

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