Chapter Text
It all starts on the day the staff makes them pick their Top Visual, after all they've been trainees long enough that a little fanservice is to be expected. It'll probably be the more twink-looking, lower ranked trainees that will push it the most, as most of them would do anything to get the votes they need to stay. That's why it's so surprising to Yanjun when he gives his pick, Lu Dinghao, that the staff makes him wait.
'Shit' He thinks, bangs creating a soft curtain over his quickly darting eyes that flick over the cameras currently focused on him. Yanjun worries his lip between his teeth, pouring over all of his past actions in his head. Nothing he'd done had seemed overtly gay, right? The whole time while filming he'd tried to keep the most straight form of his personality, pushing the non-straight thoughts into the back of his mind and suffocating his pansexual identity. It wasn't extremely difficult to do, seeing as how he was known as a flirt among his label mates and any slip ups were seen a mere jokes. Or at least he though they had? 'Fuck' Nothing exposing sprang to mind.
"What do you think your rank was?", the main filming jiejie asked.
"Um", Yanjun frowned, the question was unexpected but so was this entire situation, "Probably not in the top nine?"
Although her face was covered by a mask, Yanjun swore he saw her brown eyes crinkle in a way that belied a smile underneath the fabric.
"You got the most votes."
'What' Yanjun thought, dumbstruck at the sudden attention he had received.
"Ohhhh", he exclaimed, pink lips quirking up into a grin as he bashfully turned away from the camera, "Really?"
The filming crew seemed delighted by his bashfulness and the remainder of the interview was spent on questions about his thoughts. They show him clips of those who voted for him, and even though he swears revenge on Bu Fan for saying Yankai, it brings a little bit of happiness that he'll never admit.
Later that night, Yanjun stepped out of the shower and wrapped a yellow towel around his waist. Wet hair clung to his forehead and as he swiped at the fogged up mirror with his palm, he squinted at himself. 'Top Visual, huh' Yanjun pressed his coffee brows together and cringed as his entire face wrinkled, pink skin from the shower flaring up from embarrassment and boiling water. He made a couple more faces and then smirked at his reflection, no doubt Zhangjing was going to give him shit about this the moment he stepped out of the bathroom.
Yanjun resigned himself to the oncoming barrage of greasy pick lines and caresses coming his way from that asexual fiend. He pulled on his steam-damp pjs and opened the door.
"And so the shower monster lives!" Zhangjing squealed from Yanjun's bunk bed, wrinkling all of his covers and twisting his blankets into knots with his writhing, "Tell me, national producers, how does this pink beast turn into the tanned top visual of our show?"
"Easy peasy", Yanjun stuck his tongue out at his giggling best friend," I give them my smoulder."
Zhangjing threw his pillow at him, "You're so greasy!" he exclaimed, leaning over to pull Yanjun close and onto the bed with him.
Yanjun grumbled and hit the smaller male, who continued to poke fun of the "great beauty" who he had managed to ensnare. He smiled into Zhangjing's shoulder, and felt the Malaysian's hand stroke the back of his own. Yanjun's nose inhaled the laundry detergent of his sweater, the soft shade of pink and all the supposed greatness it symbolized, comfortingly greeted him every time his black lashes opened. And so, ever so slowly, he fell asleep to the sounds of Can't Stop being hummed in his ear.
--
"Oh my god! One minute the Top Visual, next the Top Skank of the show."
The familiar sound of Chaoze's nasally voice broke through Yanjun's quiet slumber. Groaning he nosed his head deeper into Zhangjing's warm chest, "Go away...." he whined.
"Sorry princess, it's way past time for you to pull a Sleeping Beauty." Chaoze chirped as he shoved an icy cold hand down the back of Yanjun's shirt.
"SHIT", Yanjun barked out, squirming away from his bothersome label mate and crushing a still sleeping Zhangjing underneath his body, "Why am I friends with you?!"
Chaoze leaned over and squished Yanjun's glaring face, "Because you love me", he said while lifting up an easily identifiable McDonald's bag, "And because I buy you food."
"Apology accepted." Yanjun made grabby motions for the newfound treat, "Gimme."
"Is that food?!" Zhangjing whined from his squished postion, "I deserve some, my pretty best friend's been suffocating me all night!"
"You grabbed me first!"
"Nuh uh!"
And with that, both boys rolled out of bed and into their spinny chairs across the dorm. Yanjun bit into his oily McGriddle and smiled as Chaoze scolded them for eating with their mouths open and being "disgusting". He looked at the empty beds, Nongnong must've already gone to the cafeteria, while the rest of his dorm mates were eating breakfast with him. It felt like a good day.