Chapter Text
There are some days where it just doesn’t pay to get out of bed.
Jiang Cheng didn’t have classes that day so he decided against sleeping in and went to the library instead. With midterms in two weeks, he wanted to get a headstart on his revision. If he had time to spare, he might even start working on his assignment that was due at the end of the semester.
Unfortunately, it appeared that everyone else had the same idea. The library was packed and he couldn’t find any unoccupied booths. Nevermind that his go-to seats at the back of the library were taken, he couldn’t even find an empty seat at the big tables by the reference section that nobody liked sitting at because of how distracting it was to see people going back and forth in the periphery. He was truly down on his luck.
He considered going over to the cafe nearby, but he knew that once cake was available, he wouldn’t be able to focus on anything else. He’d just be ordering slice after slice and leave only at closing time. All he’d gain from that “study session” was a tiny bit of softness in his belly; which was neither the worst nor the best outcome.
He paced once more along the booths at the back of the library. Full, full… wait, there is a booth with only one person sitting in it.
Without thinking, he rushed over and blurted out, “May I sit on you?”
The man in the booth blinked.
Jiang Cheng’s face grew hot. He couldn’t remember a time that he felt more embarrassed in his life. There was only one thing that could make the situation worse than it already was and it would be if— yes, Jiang Cheng knew exactly who the man was.
“I beg your pardon?” Lan Xichen said, the corners of his lips twitching with amusement.
Jiang Cheng was tempted to hit him over the head so that he would forget that moment. Instead, Jiang Cheng took a deep breath. “Forgive me, I misspoke.”
He turned around quickly and tried to leave, but he felt something catch his wrist. He turned and realised that Lan Xichen was holding onto his wrist intently. Jiang Cheng could have sworn that his heart stopped.
“Please, what did you mean to say?” he asked, far too kindly and politely.
Jiang Cheng blushed. “I… may I sit with you?”
Lan Xichen released his wrist and moved his things to the inside of the booth to make space for Jiang Cheng. Then, he smiled. “I’d like that.”
Jiang Cheng sheepishly slid into the booth, sitting across the table from Lan Xichen. As he pulled out his books and notes, he refused to look right at him. He opened his books and stared down at the page, trying to ignore his pounding heart and focus on what he was looking at.
Finally, Lan Xichen broke the silence, “What’s your name?”
“Jiang Cheng,” he mumbled back.
“That’s a nice name. Are you an undergrad or…?”
“Undergrad, yeah. Chemistry.”
Hearing that, Lan Xichen’s eyes lit up. “Oh, a fellow scientist! I’m Xichen. Postgrad sociology.”
Jiang Cheng nodded. He made sure not to make it obvious that he already knew that. It wasn’t as if he’d already stalked him on ResearchGate, absolutely not.
“Don’t let me bother you. Please, carry on.” Lan Xichen smiled.
Jiang Cheng pressed his lips together into a small smile. He opened his book and started working through the practice questions. He wasn’t sure how productive he’d be that day with his longtime crush sitting across from him, but he was absolutely determined to try.
There was still about two hours to closing time, but Jiang Cheng was already starting to nod off. They had taken turns to get food and Jiang Cheng went second for dinner. He realised belatedly that he shouldn’t have eaten so much if he wanted to keep working through the night. As usual, his insatiable appetite was his undoing.
“Jiang Cheng?” Lan Xichen’s gentle voice filled his ears.
He straightened up quickly, suddenly feeling the shame of falling asleep while studying.
“Would you… uhm… are you interested in getting coffee?”
Jiang Cheng’s eyes widened. “You know, that’s a great idea. I’ll run over to the cafe now. Can I get you anything?”
Lan Xichen stared at him blankly. Then he burst into laughter.
“What? Did I say something wrong again?” Jiang Cheng asked, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.
“No, not at all. You’re just really cute.”
Heat bloomed in Jiang Cheng’s cheeks, spreading till he felt his ears burning too. He couldn’t understand why Lan Xichen was being so nice to him, nevermind complimenting him. He dug his nails into his thigh, trying to steady his racing heart. He blinked quickly and looked away.
“Since I suggested it, why don’t I go?” Lan Xichen offered.
“I couldn’t—”
“I insist.”
Lan Xichen stood up and straightened his shirt. “What can I get you?”
“Uhm… black, no sugar?” Normally he’d go for something with more syrup pumped into it but he suspected that Lan Xichen would be the type to refuse reimbursement. So he chose the cheapest option.
“Man after my own heart,” Lan Xichen remarked.
Jiang Cheng sputtered, “W-w-w-w-hat?”
“I’ll be back soon.”
Then Lan Xichen was gone, much like Jiang Cheng. He put his head in his hands as he kept replaying the moment that the man he had a crush on since he first saw him called him cute.
“Pull yourself together!” he hissed at himself.
This was fine, normal even! It wasn’t like it was unusual to have a crush on your best friend’s brother’s friend who you first saw years ago when you were over at his house. It was nothing out of the ordinary. Neither was blurting out that you wanted to sit on his lap the first time you officially met him. Of course!
If he wasn’t in a library, he would have screamed. Jiang Cheng brought his hands to his face to stifle his groan.
“What… what am I going to do?”
Here’s what Jiang Cheng decided that he should do: he would get up even earlier and be the first person to arrive at the library every morning. That way, he wouldn’t have to share a booth with anyone else.
What he wasn’t counting on was Lan Xichen wanting to share a booth with him.
“You’re here early!” was all the preamble he got as the beautiful man with a loose ponytail slid into the seat across the table from him.
“Why are you here?” Jiang Cheng blurted out.
Lan Xichen cocked his head to the side. “I have work that I need to get done.”
“No, I mean, why are you here?” Jiang Cheng lamented.
As soon as he said it, he regretted it because Lan Xichen’s face shifted into one of a kicked puppy. Jiang Cheng didn’t mean to hurt his feelings but he was too much of a disaster to be anything resembling tactful.
“I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Am I bothering you, Jiang Cheng? I can leave. I promise, I’m not offended.”
“No, it’s not— I’d really like it if you stayed.”
Lan Xichen’s brow remained knitted. Jiang Cheng knew that he’d have to say more to convince him that it definitely wasn’t him, it was… well… him .
“I’m sorry, I’m just… I say things without thinking about how someone might receive it. You just… you just make me… uncomfortable— no, I don’t mean that.”
Lan Xichen’s eyes softened. “Then what do you mean?”
Jiang Cheng was still struggling to find the words that wouldn’t upset Lan Xichen further, but everything he thought of sounded vaguely offensive. “I mean, you...kindofmake… you kind of make my heart— I mean! I… ahhhhh… I’m so bad at words.”
Lan Xichen smirked. “Really? I couldn’t tell.”
Jiang Cheng ripped out a page of his notebook, crumpled it into a ball and threw it across the table.
He dodged the paper ball, bursting into a fit of laughter when he saw Jiang Cheng scowling at how it missed him. Then, Jiang Cheng said, “Ugh, I don’t have time for this! I need to study.”
He flipped to the next page of his textbook and he tried to comprehend the words on it as his mind remained clouded with his anxieties. He highlighted a few keywords that he spotted, but he couldn’t seem to internalise the material.
“So… can I sit here or…?”
“You can do whatever you want, Lan Xichen.”
“You know.” Jiang Cheng didn’t need to look at him to know that he was smiling. “I think I might just do that, Jiang Cheng.”
“Huaisang, what am I going to do?” Jiang Cheng sighed.
“You know, you could just tell him.”
“Great idea! I’ll just tell him that I’ve practically been in love with him since I was seventeen. You know, back when he didn’t even know my fucking name. I’m sure nothing bad will come out of that!”
Huaisang grabbed him by the shoulders. “Xichen-ge is a good guy. What’s the worst that could happen?”
“Well, he could hear me!”
Huaisang inhaled and exhaled deeply.
“I just… like him a lot, Huaisang. I want it to be perfect.”
“Yeah, well, sometimes you don’t get perfect. Sometimes you just… get what you get. Like an opportunity.” He poked Jiang Cheng’s arm. “Like, right now .”
“Jiang Cheng? I didn’t expect to run into you today!”
Someone planted themselves next to Jiang Cheng on the park bench and shifted so the side of their thigh was flush against Jiang Cheng’s thigh. Jiang Cheng turned and his entire being froze.
Of course it was Lan Xichen. How else would the universe conspire against him?
“H-h-hi!”
Xichen put his arm around Jiang Cheng’s shoulder and squeezed him. If he could tell how flustered Jiang Cheng was by what he did, he showed no signs of it. Jiang Cheng, on the other hand, was convinced that he was feigning obliviousness just to spite him
“Xichen-ge, we were just talking about you!” Huaisang piped up.
“Oh? Discussing flattering things, I hope.” He poked Jiang Cheng on the nose.
Jiang Cheng flushed a deep shade of red, but remained silent.
“We were just saying that it’s strange that we rarely see you hanging out with da-ge nowadays, especially since you’re in the same department,” Huaisang added quickly.
“Is that really that strange? Da-ge is a busy man. Besides…” He paused to glance at Jiang Cheng from the corner of his eye. “I’ve been spending my time with someone else.”
Jiang Cheng clenched his jaw. Before he could say anything, he felt Xichen’s warm breath against his ear. “Speaking of which, will I see you in the library later?”
“Y-y-yeah,” his voice cracked.
“I’ll take my leave. See you later,” he whispered, punctuating it with a wink. Then, he got off the bench and walked off.
Even when Jiang Cheng wasn’t looking right at Huaisang, he could see him raising both his eyebrows. If anything, he was relieved to know that he definitely wasn’t imagining Xichen hitting on him.
Huaisang finally broke the silence. “Well, I think we can both agree that him hearing your confession is the least of your problems.”
Jiang Cheng cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean?”
“Jiang Cheng,” Huaisang sighed. “I think you might be in danger.”
Jiang Cheng’s eyes widened. “What? Danger from what?”
Huaisang’s eyes darted from side to side. He turned to look behind him, then turned back to face Jiang Cheng. Then, he beckoned him to come closer to him.
“I think you might be in danger of being the object of his affections,” he whispered.
Jiang Cheng reflexively punched him in the bicep.
“Ow! What was that for?”
“For talking nonsense. Also, “object of his affections”? Who are you, Jane Austen?”
“You say that like it’s an insult!” Huaisang retorted. “But Jane Austen or not, I’m right. You’ll see.”
Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes. “Sure, Huaisang.”
Nie Huaisang was wrong.
Jiang Cheng was sitting under a tree when he overheard a conversation with two very familiar voices. He wasn’t one to eavesdrop, but with how loud they were, it was hardly eavesdropping. If they couldn’t keep their voices down in public, it was hardly his fault for listening.
He didn’t need to listen for long to know that it was Lan Xichen and his close friend, Jin Guangyao. He also didn’t have to wait long to hear something that made his heart sink to his stomach.
“A-Yao, could you help me? I don’t know who else to ask.”
“How about his brother?”
“I don’t know him that well…”
“But, er-ge, you know him better than I do! How could I help you pick a present for him if you can’t?”
Jiang Cheng wondered who they were talking about. He tried to think of who else Xichen was close friends with and the only person who he could think of was Mingjue-ge.
The person also had a brother.. Oh.
“A-Yao, please, I need help. Valentine’s Day is coming up and I want it to be perfect.”
Jiang Cheng felt something tightening around his chest. He felt like such a fool. Of course Xichen had a crush on Nie Mingjue; he was practically perfect. He was intelligent, capable and reliable. Attractive, even. Nie Mingjue was everything that he wasn’t. Of that, he was well aware.
“Why don’t you ask your new friend for his opinion?”
“Wouldn’t that be awkward?”
“Not if you do it right. Can you do it right, er-ge?”
Jiang Cheng’s knitted his brows when he heard that. Was Guangyao referring to him?
“I guess I’d have to, wouldn’t I? I’m out of options.”
“So it’s settled? You’ll ask Jiang Cheng?”
“Yes.”
Jiang Cheng exhaled deeply. He pinched his eyes shut, trying his best not to let disappointment show on his face. He listened closely for the sounds of Xichen and Guangyao walking away so as to not reveal himself to them. When he was sure that they were gone, he pressed the book that he was reading shut and ran back to his dorm room.
It was the one time he hoped that Lan Xichen wouldn’t notice him.