Chapter Text
Luo Binghe’s staring at his phone, waiting for his bus when suddenly a hand on his shoulder jerks him back and away from the edge of the sidewalk. He turns to piece together what’s happening just as the sound of screeching tires and blasts of car horns fills his ears. A motorbike jumps the curb, hitting at an awkward angle and tipping over with a loud skid, rider rolling off and away from the bike with a loud curse. It’s not like Binghe would have died - but it would’ve hurt. He turns to thank the person who pulled him back only to notice them already disappearing into the gathered crowd. Binghe takes off after them, weaving through bodies and doing his best not to lose track of his guardian angel’s green toque.
When he finally catches up, he touches his shoulder gently. It’s a strange mirror to their first interaction moments prior. “You left so quickly, I didn’t get a chance to say thank you.”
He’s a little shorter than Binghe, turning to face him as he realizes he’s being talked to. He looks up at Binghe, eyes strong but soft, lips thin and a little chapped, cheeks flushed from the early spring chill. Neither of them speak for a moment, and Binghe feels his cheeks flush once he realizes he’s been standing in the middle of a decently crowded sidewalk staring open mouthed at a stranger. “I’m Luo Binghe,” he says, finally, putting out a hand for the stranger to shake.
His gaze wanders to Binghe’s hand, face carefully blank. “I’m Shen Yuan,” Shen Yuan replies, and Binghe finds he likes that name, likes the way this Shen Yuan speaks. He’s effortlessly cool, posture and clothing and tone of voice all combining into one overwhelming first impression - and he saved Binghe from getting injured by a rogue motorbike. Binghe has no idea who Shen Yuan is, but he’s already decided they have to be friends.
◐
Binghe starts showing up to the same bus stop at the same time he had that first day on all the mornings he doesn’t have an early class. He’d wanted to ask Shen Yuan for his number right then, longed for the days of childhood where he could just toddle over to another kid on the playground and ask them to be friends without anyone batting an eye. But Shen Yuan had escaped the moment he had a chance, and it only made Binghe more curious. He doesn’t know how else to track him down again, so he waits in the only place he’s ever seen him at the only time he’s ever seen him, scanning passing faces until his bus arrives before turning around and heading back to campus.
He knows it could be complete chance that the two of them met that day. Maybe Shen Yuan was visiting from out of town, or exploring the city on his day off. There’s no reason to believe he’ll come back - but hope’s the only thing Luo Binghe‘a got, and he’s nothing if not stubborn.
When he finally sees Shen Yuan again, he looks a little different. It’s not that Binghe expected him to show up in the exact same outfit, but it definitely would have made things easier for him. He’s wrapped up in a big scarf today, hands tucked deep into his coat pockets as he walks right in front of Binghe. It takes him a moment to process, to coax his body into motion. He reaches out for Shen Yuan’s shoulder again, and Binghe is caught off guard by how unsurprised he seems when they make eye contact.
“Hi,” Binghe says. He briefly wonders why in the last few weeks he hasn’t come up with a better opening line.
Shen Yuan gives him a polite smile, “hello, again.”
“Are you in a rush?”
Shen Yuan blinks back at him for a moment, then, hesitantly, “no?”
Binghe smiles, “great. I know a really good cafe near here - I think I at least owe you a drink.”
◐
“So, tell me a little about yourself.”
Shen Yuan sips at his drink. Binghe feels a little nervous. He didn’t say no when Binghe asked him to come for coffee, but he looks - kind of flighty. Usually Binghe is better with people, but he feels hypersensitive to everything either of them say or do. Does he even want to be here? Is he just being polite? Is it something Binghe did? Interacting with someone has never been this stressful for him, but he refuses to give up. “I graduated last year and now I do mostly freelance work.”
Binghe makes a noise of affirmation at that, “so Yuan ge is two years older than me?” Shen Yuan nods, and they fall back into silence. “What did you take?”
“Business.” Binghe never really thought about what he might do, but business seems as fitting as anything else. He’s about to prompt with another question when he’s cut off. “Wait, that would mean you’re still in college.”
“Mhm,” Binghe agrees, picking at a bit of pastry. When he looks up, Shen Yuan’s eyes are wide.
“You asked me if I was in a rush, but you should be in class, shouldn’t you.”
Binghe stops picking at his food, smiling big and bright in an effort to cover up being caught red handed. “It’s okay, I can miss a class.”
Shen Yuan’s eyebrows furrow, “we’ve barely met and you’re already trying to make me into a bad influence.”
Binghe pouts, “no, I promise, it’s really fine - I’m super smart.” He regrets the words almost as soon as he’s said them, focusing his gaze back on his drink as his face burns. It’s not a lie, but it’s definitely not something to just blurt out. Great, now he’s going to think Binghe’s full of himself and never want to talk to him again. He hears a quiet huff, almost like a cut off laugh. When he looks up, he sees Shen Yuan forcing the corner of his mouth back down and decides there and then he’ll make as much of a fool of himself as he needs to if it brings some normalcy to this coffee date. Did he just think of this as a coffee date? Is it a coffee date? Shen Yuan has forced the smile off his face now, completely neutral as he takes another sip of his drink with a loud slurp. Yeah, Binghe thinks he could handle that.
Binghe tries to coax Shen Yuan into letting him walk him home once they’re finished, but he’ll only let Binghe take him as far as his bus stop. It makes him feel a little better about this whole thing, knowing that Shen Yuan really would’ve told him if he didn’t want to be treated to coffee.
They aren’t really talking, but it’s a nice walk. Binghe finds when he doesn’t think too much into it, the silence between them might even be comfortable.
They pass by a small side street and Binghe gets distracted by the sound of two children arguing. He stops to get a closer look, Shen Yuan pausing alongside him. A little girl is yelling at what looks like her older brother, pointing angrily at a pair of sneakers tied together with their strings hanging over an electrical line.
“How did he even throw them that high?”
Binghe doesn’t realize he’s said it out loud until Shen Yuan snorts, “just get them down for her.”
Binghe turns to stare at him, checking to see if he’s serious. It seems he is. “Yuan ge, I know we’ve just met, but you can’t seriously think I’ve got that kind of vertical leap…”
Shen Yuan blinks back at him, surprise plastered on his face. So he can be expressive. “Oh? You haven’t… never mind.”
Binghe isn’t sure what he means by that, but Shen Yuan takes off walking before he can ask. He follows after him, leaving behind the siblings as the girl continues to give her brother a fearsome earful.
◐
Binghe manages to get Shen Yuan’s number this time, and after sending a quick message with his name after they part ways, holds out an entire day before texting him properly.
yuan ge!
hey
how are you??
alright, yourself?
not good… I’m having a rly hard time w this assignment :((
lol I thought you said u were super smart?
:(
I am… but I had to miss a rly important class yesterday and now I don’t understand this assignment :(
…
could you help me?
why do u think I could help u?
you already graduated, you must be smart enough to help me with my assignments
…
u aren’t gonna give me a choice are you
Suddenly Binghe is overcome with nervousness. If Shen Yuan is that against being around him than he shouldn’t force it. It’s in his nature to be a little pushy, a little clingy, but he doesn’t want to make him uncomfortable. He swallows down his own discomfort.
I’m sorry. That was out of line. I’ll back off now.
no no it’s fine
i’m sending u my address now
bring snacks
Binghe’s heart feels light as helium.
◐
Shen Yuan’s house is… incredible.
Binghe doesn’t know a lot about what sort of freelance he does, but it must be pretty lucrative for him to live like this.
The apartment is huge, but sparsely decorated. Shen Yuan has the bare minimum of furniture and when Binghe goes to put a couple of the drinks he brought for them in the fridge he finds it nearly empty as well. Did he spend so much on a home he couldn’t afford furniture or food? Just what kind of priorities does Shen Yuan have?
He doesn’t really need help with his Sociology homework, but Shen Yuan ends up being so invested in and good at explaining concepts that Binghe plays up his confusion even more. He thought Shen Yuan saw through him from the start, but now he feels kind of bad. It’s okay, though. It’s the most the two of them have talked this far, even if it is about his textbook.
He ends up ordering food properly for the two of them, and they watch some show Binghe pretends to be interested in on his laptop as they eat, and it’s nice.
◐
Binghe works up his next excuse to see Shen Yuan over the course of the week. He’s not entirely sure why he feels so invested in making this particular connection happen, but he is. Maybe it’s because friendships tend to cone easy to him? But that’s not entirely accurate - Ming Fan didn’t like him at first though that turned out to be more misunderstanding than anything, and he doesn’t get along great with his RA. Still Shen Yuan is the one who Binghe just can’t let slip away. Maybe it’s the ambiguity of things? How Shen Yuan seems kind and cool but never gives enough of himself away for Binghe to know for sure. Or maybe he’s just reading too far into things.
Either way, he comes up with a foolproof plan.
:(
hm?
did u live in dorms yuan ge?
in college? yeah.
isn’t it the worst???
?
i didn’t mind it
really?
one of my roommates snores
and another of them wants 2 be a writer so he’s up at all hours typing in his bunk
that’s not so bad tho I’m used to it
the worst part is that we can’t cook :(
oh? i usually liked the schools food well enough
seriously????
i miss home cooked meals :(
i used to help my mom cook at home a lot
but i can’t do that anymore we aren’t even supposed 2 have rice cookers
i’m sorry
that sounds hard
yeah…
yuan ge?
mhm?
if i made enough to share could i come cook at your place sometime?
….
what would you be making?
ur choice!!
i haven’t been able 2 cook for myself in so long i’ll cook whatever u want :)
…
bring homework too, i’ll help you study.
:D
◐
Luo Binghe internalizes the knowledge that food is the way to Shen Yuan’s heart. After getting a recipe request out of him, Binghe called his mom to make sure he remembered how to make it correctly. He isn’t entirely sure what it is about Shen Yuan that makes him feel like he needs to prove himself - but he’s determined regardless.
He comes over on Thursday after classes, and he is genuinely excited to be cooking again. The cafeteria food isn’t horrible, but Binghe had expected to come into more freedom after entering college, not feel like the freedom he’d already taken for granted was being stripped away.
When he gets to Shen Yuan’s apartment, he’s taken aback again by how nice a place it is. He slowly takes out the ingredients he’s brought with him, including a variety of spices he knew better than to assume would be here after catching a glimpse of the fridge. Shen Yuan seems a little unsure, fluttering between sitting in the living room and perching at the dining room table as Binghe starts to prepare ingredients.
“Does gege mind keeping me company?” It’s the first time he’s called him gege, but Shen Yuan doesn’t seem to even notice. He just looks relieved at having something to do, settling into a chair in the kitchen and watching Binghe work. It must be awkward for him too, to have a near stranger in his home cooking, Binghe isn’t sure he’d know how to properly interact either.
“How was gege’s week?” Binghe splits his attention between the green onions he’s chopping and Shen Yuan. He’s dressed comfortably, sweat pants and a tshirt. He props his chin up with one arm on the countertop, shrugging. “It was okay, I - wait, watch out.”
Shen Yuan points at a chunk of ginger teetering at the edge of the cutting board closest to the edge of the counter with the movement of Binghe’s chopping. Just after Binghe gets a look at it, it begins to tip. He manages to catch it before it falls off the edge and sets it farther back on the counter. “Thanks - good eye, gege.”
He shrugs, looking almost a little embarrassed. Binghe lets it go and gets back to the task at hand.
◐
Binghe is something close to elated on the walk home. He could probably take the bus - will probably take the bus - but decides to drag it out a little longer to walk off some of his energy. Though the two of them didn’t talk a whole lot about themselves during the evening, they did talk. Shen Yuan is quite funny, his calm disposition hiding a lot of unexpected quips. As far as Binghe could tell, he enjoyed the food (Binghe had only asked a few times to be sure he was telling the truth). He honestly would’ve been fine leaving all the leftovers at Shen Yuan’s house, as he seemed to be having a much harder time coping with no longer having a cafeteria to keep him fed, but it seemed a little late to go back on his original excuse. Anyways, bringing home homemade food was likely to be a good peace treaty for his roommates - midterms were fast approaching and everyone was a little on edge. The problem was that Shen Yuan had very few containers. He’d ended up having to empty out some old questionable leftover containers in his fridge, clean them out and refill them with fresh leftovers. Binghe washed them out a couple time to be safe, and now he's homeward bound with a few servings of mapo tofu securely fastened in an old hoisin jar. He sends Qinghua a text, letting him know to prepare.
i’ve got food!!
tell a’fan to make rice
where have you been??
they shut off the power already
i made a friend with a nice big kitchen ^-^
see if that girl on the second floor can power it for u
lolol with what money?? you know she charges higher for contraband devices
fine.. go get some from the minimart
why don’t you!! you’re already out!
Binghe is about to text Qinqhua back something snarky about how he’s under no obligations to share when his screen shifts, vibrating in his hand and letting him know he’s getting a call. Binghe processes long enough to realize it’s Shen Yuan calling before answering, slowing his walk as he brings the phone to his ear.
“Gege? Hey. What’s up? You miss me already?” Shen Yuan curses on the other end, and Binghe is taken aback. “Gege? Are you okay?” He stops walking, things suddenly feeling much more serious.
“I’m fine, I’m fine. I just - fuck. How am I supposed to do this?”
Binghe’s face twists, “do what?”
There’s a slow exhale on the other end of the line before Shen Yuan continues. “Do you see a Gong Cha nearby?”
Binghe looks around, “yeah there’s one just down the street. Do you want me to bring you something? I don’t mind coming back…”
“No, that’s not it.”
Binghe is suddenly confused. Shen Yuan knows what school he goes to, so it’s not out of the question that he’d know how to get there - but there’s no reason Binghe wouldn’t be on a bus right now somewhere far past here. “Gege, what’s going on?”
Another sharp exhale, and then, “Binghe, there’s things I can’t say, I can’t - I don’t - do you trust me?”
Binghe doesn’t even think before answering. “Yes.”
And maybe he shouldn’t, maybe he’s only known this man properly for a few days and should work on guarding his heart, but now’s not really the time to assess how easily he invests.
Shen Yuan breathes a sigh of relief. “Do you see a Gong Cha nearby?”
Binghe’s eyebrows furrow. He’s already asked this. But he’s also already told Binghe there are things he can’t say. “Yes. Do I go in?”
His voice is strained as he responds. “I can’t tell you that.”
Binghe nods, bolting towards the store. Then he realizes head nods don’t transfer well over phone calls. “Okay. I’m going in. Is there anything you can tell me?”
Shen Yuan hesitates, “be careful.” He ends the call.
Binghe walks in, and it feels like a liminal space. He’s never seen a Gong Cha this empty - even on a weeknight. There’s a college student sweeping up behind the counter, who welcomes him when he walks in. Binghe takes a look around. There must be something else here, some reason Shen Yuan wanted him to come inside. It’s so frustrating to not know what it is. He has to walk around the store to see it. There’s a girl, she can’t be older than sixteen. She’s crouched up underneath one of the tables, just out of sight of the employee. She’s got her forehead resting on her knees and her arms covering her head, and there’s energy coming off of her in waves. It’s red, potent and violent, dissipating a few feet around her in a near perfect circle. Binghe’s heart is in his throat, as he calls out to the employee “call for help, she’s unraveling!”
The employee looks up with wide eyes, taking a moment before seemingly remembering there was someone else in the store. He runs to the back presumably to get his phone and Binghe carefully makes his way over to try and diffuse the situation.
He thinks back to the first aid courses they all had to take in elementary, how he never thought he’d ever have to use any of it. “I’m coming closer,” he tells the girl, careful not to startle her as he crouches down next to her, pushing a chair out of the way so he can sit down beside her. “Are you right handed?” The girl nods, and she’s shaking as she slowly peels her right hand away from her head, shifting so she can offer it up to Binghe to grab. He takes it, and her skin is freezing to the touch. He holds his thumb over her pulse, just as he learned. He can hear her ragged breathing, tries to soothe her, “the guy working here is calling for help - don’t worry, it’s gonna be fine.” He presses harder on her pulse point, coaxing the pulse in his thumb to even out her own, to bring back the humanity in her that’s currently losing the battle.
“They’re on their way.” It’s the worker. Binghe doesn’t dare shift his focus turning around, so he just nods.
“You should wait outside.”
The man doesn’t argue, and Binghe hears the door close behind him. He lets out a sigh, fear and adrenaline mingled within him. He draws back on his childhood learning and starts asking her questions about herself - anything to keep her tethered, to remind her who she is. He can only hope help gets there soon.
◐
By the time Binghe leaves the store, he’s emotionally numb. He’d left Changying with experts, his own hands shaking as he explained everything he knew. The employee that called insists on making him two drinks for free. So he leaves the shop with two bags in one hand, pulling out his phone and calling Shen Yuan back the moment he thinks of it.
He doesn’t pick up.
Binghe tries a number of times, more and more questions crowding his mind. The most logical assumption would be that Shen Yuan can see the future, but that doesn’t explain why he was so evasive about everything. Granted, it would be one of the biggest gifts Binghe’s heard of, but the more he thinks about it the more sense it makes.
The first day they met, when he had pulled Binghe away from the curb before there was even anything to get away from. He thinks back to his half-hearted attempts at studying after dinner, when he started panicking thinking he’d lost one of his handouts for class only for Shen Yuan to pull it out between the pages of one of his textbooks before Binghe could even voice what he was looking for. Finally, he gives up on calling and sends Shen Yuan a text.
gege?
The message is read almost immediately but there’s no response. Binghe thinks out his next words carefully. He had seemed frustrated, like he really couldn’t talk about what was going on. Binghe still doesn’t quite get it, but he does get the feeling he already knows more than most people.
if u ever need me to trust u again, i’m down. no questions asked
the girl is fine btw
Again the message is read right away. When there’s no response, Binghe slips his phone back into his pocket.
By the time Binghe gets home, he’s exhausted. He has to text Qinghua to let him in, passing him the bag with his free drinks in it and doing his best to field off questions about what took him so long.
Meng Mo is already asleep, so they don’t bother waking him. But Ming Fan is waiting with rice from the convenience store, the promise of food more tempting than an extra hour of sleep. The three of them quietly share their spoils - under the light of Qinghua’s rechargeable lamp - passing around the two bobas and awkwardly scooping tofu out of the hoisin container. It feels - mundane. It’s honestly a nice comedown from the events of the evening, still rattling around in Binghe’s head even as he does his best to listen to Ming Fan complain about his econ professor in a harsh whisper.
When he finally crawls into his bunk that night, he checks his phone. There’s a notification on his phone. His heart speeds up without his permission when he spots Shen Yuan’s name. It’s just two simple messages, but they have him fighting back a grin.
thank you
sleep well binghe