Work Text:
He Xuan stops eating. Just for a moment, and yet that is enough to make Xie Lian turn his gaze to him in concern.
‘Hua Cheng,’ he says, looking far more contemplative than someone should look while munching on a plate of cookies, ‘I know him.’
Xie Lian feels his eyes widen, and then—
And then his face is flaming, because 1. He Xuan usually doesn’t listen when he and Shi Qingxuan are talking? and 2. he suddenly remembers all those times that he talked to Shi Qingxuan about something and only now when he looks back all those times were with He Xuan lurking in the background oh gods what if he knows all of Xie Lian’s secrets—
And the abrupt thought makes him laugh, because Xie Lian has very little secrets that everyone does not know. In fact, he can very confidently say that everyone knows all of his secrets.
His mind supplies him with an image of—
Okay. People do not know one secret. And he intends to keep it that way.
He’s so lost in his thoughts that he doesn’t realize that Shi Qingxuan is pointedly staring at him. ‘What?’
‘I was saying,’ Shi Qingxuan repeats excitedly, ‘He-ge and I will get you a date with him!’
‘What.’
‘What, are you telling me you don’t wanna hook up with the hot guy who asks for you every day?’
‘Shi-jie!’ Xie Lian’s face is burning. And usually he’s much, much more thick-skinned but something about Hua Cheng just makes him...gooey. ‘I don’t—I don’t want to just—just hook up!’
‘Ah, yes,’ Shi Qingxuan swoons, ‘Xie Lian, ever the romantic. Of course, you’d want to go out on a date first, and then you’d talk under the stars all night and then you’d cuddle! And then he’d send you back to your shitty apartment and kiss you goodnight and leave you like a lovelorn maiden! How romantic!’
‘Shi-jie,’ Xie Lian hisses, ‘Stop!’
But Shi Qingxuan simply grins at him and proclaims, ‘No fear! I shall make sure you have a date by the end of this month!’
Xie Lian would protest, if he weren’t so busy helping a choking He Xuan.
(Xie Lian had seen Hua Cheng the first time he stomped into the store, looking like all the gods had wronged him and with fury blazing in his veins. He hadn’t quite known how to respond, but then his customer service voice had kicked in and he managed to get through the whole...thing without the angry guy blowing his head off.
‘Name?’
‘San Lang.’
‘Got it, coming right up.’
Xie Lian works in silence, unlike Shi Qingxuan, who’s flitting around the area while humming, and when he gets his order done, he calls out a ‘San Lang!’ and watches as the man turns on his heel and leaves the shop.
But not before leaving a twenty yuan tip on the counter.
Huh, Xie Lian thinks, what a strange person.
‘And thus, a magical, soon-to-be-wed love blossomed.’
‘Shi-jie!’)
Shi Qingxuan’s Ultra-Easy Five-Step Guide To Getting The Hot Red Boy Man To Date You
1.
Xie Lian smiles as he hears Hua Cheng come in, and he hurriedly finishes off his order before going to greet him, trusting that Shi Qingxuan will take care of his position for a while. Hua Cheng never comes in during his busy hours anyways—all the more time to talk to him, Xie Lian thinks giddily.
‘San Lang!’ he chirps, placing his arms on the counter and giving Hua Cheng his best smile. Smile at him, Shi Qungxuan had instructed him, that bastard’s weak to your smiles. ‘How are you today?’
‘As good as ever, gege,’ Hua Cheng replies, lips pulling up into a smile, ‘Better now that I’m seeing you. And what about you, gege? How’s the most amazing person in the world doing?’
That’s it. This is the point where Xie Lian should pull a smooth, charming pick-up line, as Shi Qingxuan had told him. Say something like ‘I don’t know, how’re you doing?’ or anything like that!
But Xie Lian is a disaster more often than not and today it’s no difference. In fact, it’s even worse, because Xie Lian is nervous as fuck and Hua Cheng’s staring at him and Xie Lian realizes he’s been staring at him this entire time and hurries to say something—
—except what he says it probably the most embarrassing thing he’s ever said in all his years of life.
‘You’re amazing,’ he blurts out, and immediately wants to punch himself in the face. What the fuck? What the absolute fuck, Xie Lian! You can’t just say that to people without saying anything else! Why are you like this!
At least Hua Cheng seems like he’s in shock too? His mouth is opening and closing like a fish out of water, and Xie Lian finds the sight very, very endearing.
God, he’s a fool.
‘Gege,’ Hua Cheng says, voice croaky. His hands are gripping the counter. ‘Gege, I—‘
‘I!’ Xie Lian interrupts him, unable to take the awkwardness anymore. He’d rather die than live through this again! And of course he wouldn’t remember Hua Cheng’s shocked, cute face for weeks afterwards, definitely not! ‘What would you like today, San Lang!’
‘Is gege on the menu,’ Hua Cheng blurts out, eyes wide and this is the most flustered Xie Lian has ever seen him but the reality of his words sink into Xie Lian and he himself is left with an open mouth.
‘San Lang—‘
‘ACTUALLY, gege,’ Hua Cheng interrupts, looking as red as the shirt he wears, ‘I’ll just have my usual!’
Xie Lian’s heart sinks. He stomps down on it further.
‘Of course,’ he smiles, his practiced customer smile slipping onto his face. ‘Would you like anything else?’
‘No, that’s all,’ Hua Cheng mutters, but he looks away, and he still looks so cute and innocent and Xie Lian wants to squish his cheeks so bad, ‘Uh, um. Does. Does gege want coffee too?’
Xie Lian blinks. ‘Um. Sure?’
‘Great!’ Hua Cheng says, and as soon as Shi Qingxuan arrives with Hua Cheng’s order, he shoves a wad of cash into Xie Lian’s hands and practically flies out of the cafe.
Xie Lian stares after him.
‘...huh.’
(‘Okay!’ Shi Qingxuan chirps, leaning onto He Xuan’s arm, ‘First step—flirt with him!’
Xie Lian blinks. ‘Shi-jie,’ he says slowly, ‘you do know that I cannot flirt to save my life, right?’
‘Psh, like it’s hard!’ Shi Qingxuan giggles, and then says, ‘He-ge, help me for a moment here! What would you say that I can use to flirt with you.’
Very, very hesitantly, He Xuan mumbles, ‘How’s the most amazing person in the world doing?’
‘I don’t know, how are you?’ Shi Qingxuan says prettily, nudging He Xuan’s arm. Xie Lian watches them with a smile on his face. Ah, they really are too cute!
‘And that,’ Shi Qingxuan continues primly, ‘is how you do it! You just sound pretty, Xie-ge! And your man’s already very gay for you so you could just ask him to dick you down I’m sure he won’t mind—‘
‘Shi-jie!’
‘Yes, yes, no dicking down until your third date,’ Shi Qingxuan sighs morosely, ‘But remember that, Xie-ge! Flirt! As much as you can!’)
2.
Xie Lian takes a deep breath. Okay. He can do this. He can do this, and he is going to do this Very Well. It isn’t as if he hasn’t talked with Hua Cheng before!
And then Hua Cheng walks into the little cafe and Xie Lian decides that no he absolutely cannot do this.
See, here’s the thing—Hua Cheng is rich. And being rich usually comes with an assorted motley of buying clothes, and Hua Cheng often turns up in designer clothes Xie Lian’s poor broke ass can’t even recognize, and more often than not, he is very, very stylish.
And Xie Lian had just gotten used to those things, when Hua Cheng has the audacity to show up wearing tight black jeans and a long-sleeved red t-shirt paired with a choker and simple dangly red earrings and—and that’s it. Xie Lian’s soul is dead now. Or it’s ascended. Xie Lian can’t tell.
‘H-hi, San Lang,’ Xie Lian manages when he reaches the counter, ‘Hi, how are you?’
‘I’m fine as can be,’ Hua Cheng says, and the he winks. He winks. Dear god, Xie Lian is going to die. Wait, did he blink or did he wink—
‘That’s nice,’ Xie Lian manages, ‘Um, usual order?’
‘Yes, and maybe some strawberry muffins as well.’
‘Very well.’
While they wait for the order, Hua Cheng leans his elbows on the counter. ‘Gege, are you free tonight?’
‘As far as I’m aware, why?’
‘Ah, nothing! There’s this movie I’ve been wanting to see, would gege like to follow me?’
Xie Lian stops. He stops, just for a moment.
But apparently, that moment is enough to make Hua Cheng duck his head shyly and look away, saying, ‘Gege doesn’t need to come if he doesn’t want to, I just thought it would be fun—‘
‘San Lang,’ Xie Lian breathes, ‘I would love to.’
‘Oh,’ Hua Cheng says. He mouth curves up into a giddy smile, ‘Oh, um that’s great! Uh—what time should I pick you up?’
‘Ah,’ Xie Lian says, and proceeds to tell him what time he gets off work, all the while ignoring Shi Qingxuan grinning like a fool in the background.
Fortunately—maybe for the first time since he was a teenager—Xie Lian is lucky enough not to get any stains on the shirt he’s wearing for his...meeting with Hua Cheng. And as said, the other shows up just minutes after his shift ends, and Xie Lian almost doesn’t recognize him.
Or his car, at least.
‘Gege!’ he says, rolling down the window, ‘get in!’
Xie Lian does, feeling slightly out of place in the fancy red limousine that Hua Cheng has; there’s even a driver! And while Xie Lian had had his fair share of riding in fancy cars, the last time had been when he was very, very young—maybe a decade ago?—and suffice to say, he isn’t sure how well he fits in with everything.
But miraculously, it turns out to be fine.
Hua Cheng is great at talking, and he doesn’t make Xie Lian awkward. His speech is snarky and sarcastic and funny and Xie Lian finds himself relaxing easily. A bit too easily, perhaps.
‘Hoodies are obviously the better choice,’ Xie Lian proclaims playfully, ‘You can hide in them!’
‘Oh?’ Hua Cheng says, and his face—his face does the thing where he’s about to say something that makes Xie Lian’s heart splatter into a pile on the floor—and Xie Lian knows he’s going to be fucked.
And he is absolutely correct, because, seconds later, Hua Cheng sidles closer to him and puts an arm around his shoulders, all the while grinning that sharp toothed grin Xie Lian is so fucking gay for.
‘S-San Lang?’
‘You can hide in my arms, gege,’ Hua Cheng says, and—
—and Xie Lian combusts.
He simply blinks in shock for a few seconds and then he opens his mouth, but no words come out, and at last, Xie Lian just gives up and topples into Hua Cheng’s chest face-first.
‘Gege?!’
Xie Lian doesn’t reply, but he also doesn’t move away and Hua Cheng isn’t pushing him away and that means he doesn’t mind, right? Right?
‘Gege, you’re worrying me.’
And at long last, Xie Lian exhales—and of course he doesn’t enjoy Hua Cheng’s scent, what kind of person would he be—and mumbles, ‘San Lan really is too shameless.’
Hua Cheng laughs, and his chest vibrates with it and Xie Lian is gone. He is utterly and completely destroyed, and he’s the gayest he can be right now. He’s literally at peak gay energy.
And then—
A very quick, fleeting kiss to his forehead, and a light laugh, and a ‘don’t worry gege, I will gladly let you hide in my arms,’ and oh gods his arms are circling around Xie Lian—
—and then Xie Lian is tipped completely over the edge of his gayness.
He’s almost entirely certain that Hua Cheng has ruined him for any other men at this point.
‘Gege?’
‘’m fine,’ Xie Lian mumbles, melting into Hua Cheng’s embrace. After all, he’s already dug his own grave, might as well lie in it, right? And if the grave is Hua Cheng, Xie Lian would willingly throw himself in.
‘Mhm. If you say so.’
And then Hua Cheng is quiet. Xie Lian isn’t sure whether to be thankful about that, because he is this close to falling asleep on Hua Cheng.
‘Gege?’
‘Uh?’
‘Oh, sorry, were you sleeping? Gege must be tired?’
‘Haa, no,’ Xie Lian says, forcefully blinking his eyes open, ‘It’s fine! What was it that you wanted to say to me, San Lang?’
Hua Cheng considers him for a moment, probably puffy eyed and looking like a stupid panda with the amount of sleep he gets each night, and then he smiles.
‘Gege, wanna get married?’
Xie Lian’s heart stops.
‘San Lang!’ he squeaks out, and he’s sure that his face is already redder than the red Hua Cheng usually wears, ‘What!’
Hua Cheng ducks his head—bashfully? Is that even a word for Hua Cheng?—and he says, with a light laugh, ‘Just kidding, just kidding.’
Xie Lian feels something unpleasant well up within him. ‘Well!’ he says, floundering for words, ‘Don’t say it if it’s a joke!’
‘I understand,’ Hua Cheng says seriously, and then his eyes take on a mischievous twinkle. ‘Does that mean gege will say yes if I were serious?’
‘San Lang!’ Xie Lian cries out morosely, and buries himself in Hua Cheng’s chest, ‘You’re impossible!’
Hua Cheng’s laughter resounds in his ears, and Xie Lian smiles to himself.
He’s sure Hua Cheng can feel it anyways.
Hua Cheng sends the driver off the get two tickets for the movie they’re going to watch—a horror film, apparently—as he and Xie Lian queue up for getting snacks. And because Hua Cheng is the nicest person to ever live, he graciously pays for the food Xie Lian buys for the movie.
Really, at this point, Xie Lian just might be taking advantage of Hua Cheng.
‘What did you say this movie was about?’ Xie Lian asks, as they wait at the entrance, ‘A horror?’
‘Yep,’ Hua Cheng answers him, ‘Apparently a cursed doll?’
‘Sounds interesting.’
‘Of course,’ Hua Cheng tacks on, smiling dopily at the end, ‘Gege can hide in my arms again if he feels scared.’
‘San Lang!’ Xie Lian hisses, punching him on the shoulder, ‘No!’
Hua Cheng’s laughter doesn’t stop, but—
—but when the movie starts, it’s an entirely different matter.
Xie Lian smiles amusedly at Hua Cheng curling up and staring at the screen with a wide eye, hands covering almost every inch of his eye, and he wonders how one person can be this cute.
Finally, after a particularly nasty jumpscare that has Hua Cheng screaming, Xie Lian gulps and decides to take the initiative. He raises their armrest, so that he and Hua Cheng are now directly sitting beside each other. Shi Qingxuan should be proud of him for being bold, Xie Lian thinks, throat suddenly going dry.
And he slides an arm over Hua Cheng’s shoulders and teases, ‘San Lang can hide himself in my arms if he wants.’
And to his surprise, Hua Cheng immediately turns and tucks himself into a little ball against Xie Lian’s chest, and it’s honestly so endearing that Xie Lian can’t help but laugh helplessly.
Someone shushes him.
Xie Lian whispers a sorry and he thinks that watching a horror movie with Hua Cheng curled up against him like this might be the best experience of his life.
‘So,’ Xie Lian teases, ‘How did San Lang enjoy the movie?’
‘The movie was very un-enjoy-able,’ Hua Cheng sniffs, ‘Very boring. Zero out of ten.’
Xie Lian giggles. Hopefully tomorrow he can pass this behavior off as him being his giddy midnight self. ‘Oh? I seem to recall San Lang enjoying something else rather than the movie?’
‘Of course,’ Hua Cheng says primly, ‘Being in gege’s arms was hands down the best part of the entire thing.’
‘And here San Lang was saying that he would protect me from the big bad monsters,’ Xie Lian says, nudging him in the arm.
And with a huff, Hua Cheng concedes defeat.
They’re walking out of the cinema, and fear suddenly strikes Xie Lian’s heart—he isn’t entirely sure why, but he knows that he doesn’t want this—whatever this is—to end just yet.
‘Do you wanna get something to eat with me,’ Xie Lian blurts out, because he is an idiot and he can’t control his mouth to save his life, and he also immediately wants to smack himself upside his head, because it’s already eleven and he knows a lot of shops have already closed up and Hua Cheng’s going to think he’s an idiot—
‘I would love to,’ Hua Cheng says, and maybe it’s Xie Lian projecting, but is that happiness he hears in Hua Cheng’s voice? ‘But, gege, most shops are closed at this hour.’
Xie Lian’s hopes and dreams come crashing down, but before he can say anything, Hua Cheng continues, ‘Would gege like to come back home with me?’
Xie Lian blinks. That is...not what he expected. He must’ve been staring for quite a while, because Hua Cheng looks blinks rapidly as well and amends his sentence, ‘Not like that!! I meant—just to eat!’
‘Of course,’ Xie Lian manages, without choking on his laughter, ‘San Lang, I’d love to!’
Hua Cheng’s face breaks out into a big grin, and Xie Lian wants to die for it.
The ride back to Hua Cheng’s house is short, because it is quite late in the night and not much cars are around. Despite that, Xie Lian manages to get a short nap while leaning on Hua Cheng’s shoulder.
Once they get out of the car, Xie Lian stretches, feelings his joints crack satisfyingly, before turning to Hua Cheng, who looks slightly horrified.
Xie Lian tilts his head in question, but Hua Cheng brushes him off, simply waving his driver away and starting to lead Xie Lian up his apartment. And it is very fancy, Xie Lian thinks, the decorations are not sparse, and Hua Cheng’s interior design feels warm and homely despite its red and black theme.
‘Make yourself at home,’ Hua Cheng tells him as they step in the door.
Xie Lian takes a breath of the air inside his house, and strangely, even though Xie Lian’s never smelled it before, it smells like something inherently Hua Cheng and he finds that he quite enjoys it.
‘Gege, slight problem,’ Hua Cheng says, walking out of the kitchen to where Xie Lian is looking around his living room, ‘I only have ramen.’
‘Ramen is fine,’ Xie Lian tells him, smiling warmly, ‘I’m in the mood for crappy junk food anyways!’
Hua Cheng grins at him and then disappears back into the kitchen. It’s not long before he comes out again, this time, wiping his hands on his jeans and saying, ‘Does gege want to watch a movie while we eat? I have more things to snack on at least.’
‘That would be amazing,’ Xie Lian says, laughing a little, ‘Don’t choose horror films! They might be bad for your poor maiden heart!’ he yells at Hua Cheng’s retreating back.
Hua Cheng turns around and sticks out his tongue at him.
Xie Lian giggles, and when Hua Cheng disappears into his bedroom to get his laptop, he grabs the nearest pillow and screams into it with full force.
And promptly puts it back in place and straightens himself out.
Or not, haha.
A voice that sounds suspiciously like Shi Qingxuan rings in his head. Stop being gay and make a move on him!
However, before he can rationalize with Shi Qingxuan-him, Hua Cheng’s head pops out of the bedroom and he says, ‘Gege, I’m sorry, my laptop isn’t charged, would you mind watching it in here with me?’
‘Oh, it’s fine!’ Xie Lian waves it off, ‘I can stay without watching movies?’
‘We can charge it while using it,’ Hua Cheng says, ‘And don’t worry, you’re not imposing on me.’
Finally, the want to stay with Hua Cheng—in his bedroom!—wins out and Xie Lian gets up and moves toward the bedroom. However, before he gets there, he remembers, ‘San Lang, the noodles?’
‘Ah, don’t worry, I’ll handle it,’ Hua Cheng says, stepping out and brushing past Xie Lian, ‘Just wait there for me, and make yourself at home!’
Xie Lian nods and enters the bedroom, seating himself gingerly on the edge of the very, very fancy bed Hua Cheng has. As he said, his laptop is being charged on the bed.
Xie Lian suddenly feels out of place. Everything here is so...expensive and worth money and Xie Lian just...isn’t.
He’s just a cashier at a small cafe, someone who wears the same two hoodies because he finds them comfortable, he’s just worthless and nothing compared to someone like Hua Cheng.
‘So the other day, I was—‘
Hua Cheng’s voice suddenly cuts off, and Xie Lian realizes what a picture he must be making, sitting like a depressed buffoon on the edge of his glorious, imperial bed, not fitting in the picture and being just generally sad and pathetic.
‘Gege?’ Hua Cheng says quietly, setting down the tray he’s carrying on the nightstand, ‘Gege, are you okay?’
‘I’m fine,’ Xie Lian says, but his voice comes out horribly squeaky and cracky and Xie Lian knows that Hua Cheng doesn’t believe him. Hell, he doesn’t believe himself.
‘Gege, is anything wrong?’ Hua Cheng says, coming to sit beside him, ‘Is there anything you want to talk about?’
‘I—‘ Xie Lian says, and then stops himself. And starts again, ‘I feel out of place.’
Words aren’t really enough to help him express what he feels, not adequate enough to describe the storm of emotions that swirl in Xie Lian’s chest, and yet, somehow, the way Hua Cheng looks at him makes Xie Lian think that he understood everything Xie Lian wanted to say with just a few simple words between them.
‘Gege,’ he begins softly, and Xie Lian’s heart flutters softly when he takes Xie Lian’s hands and rests their joined hands on his thighs, ‘Gege, you won’t ever be out of place, anywhere in my house. I promise you that.’
Xie Lian laughs wetly, ‘How kind of San Lang to say so—‘
‘No,’ Hua Cheng interrupts him, a steely fire in his eyes, ‘I mean it, gege. You are not unwelcome anywhere in this house, and I mean it. You are welcome here anytime, even if I’m not here, and I will always be happy to see you here with me.’
‘San Lang...’
And then Hua Cheng smiles, angelic and beautiful, and Xie Lian is lost for words. ‘Now, gege, what movie did you want to watch?’
‘Ah, San Lang should choose,’ Xie Lian says, putting away the moments before for later pondering, ‘After all, he wouldn’t want to spill noodles on his own bed because he was scared of a horror movie, right?’
The half-pout, half-grin he gets in return is more than gratifying.
They end up sitting side by side with the laptop balanced on both their laps and laughing at shitty Asian dramas, and Xie Lian thinks he’s never enjoyed himself this much before.
‘Gege,’ Hua Cheng says, late into the night—morning?—‘I was serious, you know?’
It takes Xie Lian a second to understand him, because of course he wasn’t looking at how pretty Hua Cheng looks right now, hair rumpled from lying back against the pillow and tired eyes blinking up at him. Of course he wasn’t. ‘About?’
‘Um,’ Hua Cheng says, blinking and looking away as if he’d meant to say something else, ‘Uh, I’m not sure, gege! It—it seems like I’ve forgotten what I was going to say!’
Xie Lian raises an eyebrow, but he doesn’t press. After all, the drama that he’s barely paying attention to is still funny, Hua Cheng’s arm is wrapped around him—who knows when or how it got there—and Hua Cheng’s blanket is on both of them like a safe haven, and Xie Lian is comfortable.
‘Hm,’ he says, yawning a bit, ‘Whatever you say, then.’
Hua Cheng makes a sound of agreement, and then, slightly hesitantly, ‘Does gege want me to drive him back?’
‘Huh? No, it’s fine,’ Xie Lian says, right as he snuggles further into Hua Cheng’s side, ‘’M comfortable. Does San Lang want me to move to the couch?’
‘No, no, gege, it’s fine,’ Hua Cheng reassures him, and then, in barely a whisper that Xie Lian has to strain his ears to hear, ‘Does gege want to stay here with me?’
‘Mhm,’ Xie Lian says, and in the haze of sleep, turns around fully and wraps his arm around Hua Cheng’s middle. ‘’gnight, San Lang.’
‘Night, gege,’ San Lang says, and he whispers something else, but Xie Lian is too far into the realm of sleep to hear him anymore.
Xie Lian wakes up slowly.
He usually wakes up earlier, but right now, everything is so warm. It feels like a fluffy cocoon wrapped around him while he was sleeping, and Xie Lian knows even before opening his eyes that he’s had what was probably the best sleep of his life.
He also realizes that the fluffy cocoon is Hua Cheng.
Xie Lian’s eyes shoot open, and he also struggles to get out of Hua Cheng’s grip before realizing that 1) Hua Cheng will wake up if he does, and 2) he’s so damn comfortable right now and Xie Lian thinks he never wants to get up ever again.
With a sigh, Xie Lian lets himself burrow further into the covers and Hua Cheng and drifts off to sleep again.
When he wakes, Hua Cheng is gone.
The momentary fear is assuaged by the smell of pancakes wafting in from the kitchen, and Xie Lian takes a moment to stretch before following the smell to where Hua Cheng has changed into new clothes and is cooking what seems to be breakfast.
‘Morning,’ Hua Cheng greets him, ‘Did gege sleep well?’
‘Of course,’ Xie Lian tells him with a smile, ‘Did San Lang sleep well too?’
‘I have never slept better with gege by my side,’ Hua Cheng proclaims, and Xie Lian feels himself blushing at the memory. He hadn’t meant for...anything to happen, but he can’t say he is displeased by his own actions.
‘That’s good,’ he comments, ‘Is San Lang making pancakes? May I help?’
‘No, no, gege should sit and enjoy breakfast,’ Hua Cheng says, ‘You are an esteemed guest, after all.’
‘San Lang!’ Xie Lian admonishes, felling into easy teasing with Hua Cheng, ‘Let me help!’
‘Nope,’ Hua Cheng says playfully, and then turns around, ‘Because I’m done!’
‘San Lang!’
Hua Cheng’s laughter is palpable, and Xie Lian finds himself laughing along.
And then he looks at the clock, and—
—fuck.
Xie Lian almost swears out loud when he realizes that he’s at least an hour late to work, and he stands up so fast that his chair almost topples over.
‘Gege?’
‘I’m late for work!’
Hua Cheng’s single eye grows wider, as if he too hadn’t thought to consider that, and Xie Lian panics for all of a second before realizing—
‘Wait, it’s my day off.’
Hua Cheng heaves a huge sigh of relief, one that has Xie Lian giggling and sitting down at the table again.
‘So,’ Hua Cheng begins—and is it just Xie Lian, or does he sound shy?—‘Would gege like to stay for a while?’
I’d like to stay forever, Xie Lian thinks, but he isn’t thick-skinned enough to say something like that, at least not to Hua Cheng.
‘Of course,’ he says, and smiles as Hua Cheng produces a stack of the best pancakes Xie Lian has ever tasted.
(‘Step two, Xie-ge,’ Shi Qingxuan says, ‘Is to initiate conversations with him!’
Xie Lian raises an eyebrow. ‘But I already do that, though?’
‘Yes, but what you talk about it mundane and boring! Ask him about his interests and likes and dislikes and everything else! Ask him about himself!’
‘I’m not sure he’d like me being nosy...’
‘Oh shush! The fastest way to a man’s heart is to annoy him as much as possible! Isn’t it, He-ge?’
‘Mhm.’)
3.
Initiating physical contact is hard. It’s not the act itself that is actually difficult, but it’s the fact that Xie Lian’s trying to do it on purpose. And it isn’t even as if he’s like Shi Qingxuan, who likes draping herself on other people—he’s more the brush-his-hand over-someone’s-shoulder type, but that’s meant for friends, not for customers.
And so, sighing, Xie Lian resorts to the only point of touching he can think of: hands.
Hua Cheng has touched his hands multiple times, but they’ve always been that; accidents. Xie Lian wasn’t actively trying to pursue anything, and even if he was, he wasn’t trying to make Hua Cheng fall in love with his hands alone.
It gets to the point where his hands are shaking as he gives Hua Cheng his change, and he accidentally even drops some as he tries to take a few deep breaths.
‘Gege, are you alright?’ Hua Cheng says, looking concerned, and before Xie Lian can do anything, he reaches over the counter to grasp Xie Lian’s in his own, cupping them tenderly.
In the distant part of Xie Lian’s brain that isn’t furiously panicking, Xie Lian notes that Hua Cheng’s hands are much bigger than his, but his own fingers are thicker from the labor he does. Instead, Hua Cheng’s hands are calloused, but his fingers are long and thin, and Xie Lian thinks they’d look nice—
His panic must show on his face, because Hua Cheng asks him, ‘Gege, are you okay? You don’t seem to be well.’
‘Ah no I’m fine!’ Xie Lian answers way too quickly, and he yells at himself to yank his hands away from Hua Cheng’s hold to run away and hide out of embarrassment and shame, but the other part of him that is stuck in perpetual gayness whispers hey, you like the feeling. Why not take advantage of it? It’s not like he knows anything.
And Xie Lian gulps and tries to take deep breaths, and even those become harsh as Hua Cheng starts rubbing circles into the back of Xie Lian’s hands, soothing and slow, and Xie Lian is embarrassed to say that it takes him a mortifying amount of time to calm down.
‘Ah, I’m fine now, San Lang,’ he manages, making to pull his hands out of Hua Cheng’s grasp, ‘Thank you.’
‘Anything for gege,’ Hua Cheng replies, and before Xie Lian can move, he raises his hands—their joined hands—to his lips! And! Kisses! Xie Lian’s! Knuckles!
Xie Lian stops functioning.
‘Ah,’ he mumbles, once his hands are returned to him, ‘Ah, okay um yes your order will be ready soon!’ And hoping that Shi Qingxuan will take care of it, Xie Lian dashes to the break room and screams to himself for a full minute.
He also presses his lips to the backs of his hands, hoping for a fleeting phantom feeling of Hua Cheng’s lips, but—
—but no one has to know that.
(‘Initiate physical contact!’
‘Why...’
‘Well, humans need physical contact! And it’s also a good way of flirting, so you should do it!’
‘Don’t.’
‘Huh?’
‘Don’t crawl over him like a leech like Qingxuan does.’
‘He-ge!’)
4.
‘San Lang?’
‘Oh, gege, what a surprise.’
‘San Lang, we’re in a grocery shop.’
Hua Cheng laughs then, sounding way too attractive for a man who is standing in a deserted aisle of their local mini-market at midnight, ‘Well, what a surprise to see you at this time, then!’
Xie Lian giggles, and starts walking, expecting that Hua Cheng will be following him, ‘So what did you come here for, San Lang—San Lang?’
Hua Cheng isn’t following him, and it takes Xie Lian to realize that, and it takes another moment for him to realize that it’s probably because he’s wearing hot pink shorts with the words take me daddy printed on the ass. In his defense, Shi Qingxuan had bought it for him as a gag gift, but the material was comfortable and Xie Lian does prefer wearing shorts over pajama bottoms. Also it was the closest thing that was decent to wear amidst all his other clothes.
‘I’m sorry, gege, what did you say?’ Xie Lian starts when Hua Cheng speaks, blushing once he realizes he’d been staring at Hua Cheng.
‘Ah, nothing much, just asking what you came here for.’
‘Food,’ Hua Cheng deadpans, and then with a smile after catching up to Xie Lian, ‘Milk, actually. And chocolate.’
‘Oh?’
‘I was suddenly craving chocolate milk.’
‘San Lang has interesting taste,’ Xie Lian jokes.
‘That I do. What about gege, then?’
‘Food,’ Xie Lian says, only half joking, ‘Snacks. I need something to eat, but I don’t know what, so I came here.’
‘After all, everything is low expense,’ Hua Cheng says playfully, and then, ‘Gege, wanna come over to my house? I can make food, and I can drive you to work in the morning.’
‘Where’s your fancy chauffeur,’ Xie Lian jokes, but then he says, ‘It’s fine, San Lang. I wouldn’t want to impose.’
‘Gege,’ Hua Cheng says, and then stops walking entirely. Xie Lian does too, confused, as Hua Cheng places his hands on Xie Lian’s shoulders. ‘I told you before, haven’t I? You’re always welcome in my house.’
‘Well,’ Xie Lian says weakly—he’s too close to Hua Cheng, dammit!—‘Um, if you really don’t mind, then...’
And then Hua Cheng grins and pulls back and takes Xie Lian’s hands and drags him along and Xie Lian is left wondering where his sanity ran off to.
He’s so busy wondering that he doesn’t notice Hua Cheng paying for his purchase until Hua Cheng has safely deposited him in front of the cafe the next morning.
(‘Shi-jie,’ Xie Lian says haltingly, ‘Your question marks—you...you know that’s not an actual step, right?’
‘It is! Your dear Hua Cheng just has to ask you out on a date, and tada, you’re well on the way to getting a boyfriend!’
‘What makes you think I wouldn’t be the one to ask him out?’
‘Well, no offense,’ Shi Qingxuan says, ‘But you don’t really seem like the type to do that. Besides, I know you and you’re definitely...’
‘Definitely what?’
‘Well, definitely like me!’
‘What does that mean?’
‘Oh, nothing, Xie-ge, it’s just that we’re both useless bottoms...’
‘Excuse me?!’)
5.
It’s not often that Xie Lian is caught by surprise, but as always, Hua Cheng seems to defy all expectations of him, and because of that, Xie Lian ends up nearly jumping a foot into the air when Hua Cheng slams his hands down onto the counter one day.
‘Gege!’ Hua Cheng doesn’t shout, but it’s a near thing, and Xie Lian sees some customers look their way at the loud noise. Hua Cheng winces apologetically when Xie Lian sends a smile towards them.
‘San Lang,’ he greets, as always, ‘What would you like today?’
‘You,’ Hua Cheng blurts out, hands fisting on the counter, ‘You, gege, I want you!’
‘San Lang, what—‘
‘I want to take you out on a date,’ Hua Cheng says, interrupting him, and Xie Lian indistinctly has the thought that this is the first time he’s ever heard Hua Cheng sound so...rushed. ‘I want to kiss you! I want to hug you and cuddle with you and go out on many, many dates with you! I want to provide for you and make you feel happy and safe!’
‘San Lang...’
And then suddenly, Hua Cheng’s entire face transforms into one of fear and panic, and oh—doesn’t Xie Lian know the feeling well?—and Hua Cheng starts to blush a furious red. ‘Gege, no—‘
‘Wait, San Lang—‘
But it is too late.
Hua Cheng has already fled, and the door vibrates from where he slammed it, and Xie Lian is lost amidst the sea of people staring at him, some quietly murmuring encouragement for him to go after Hua Cheng, some grumbling about him disturbing their time, and Xie Lian hurriedly bows an apology before turning to Shi Qingxuan.
‘Go get your man,’ Shi Qingxuan says, understanding as ever, ‘I’ll talk to Ling Wen for you.’
And as Xie Lian nods a thanks to her and runs out into the street, he thinks that his racing heart can’t entirely be attributed to the run to Hua Cheng’s house alone.
(‘And lastly, we’ll get the results!’
‘Shi-jie,’ Xie Lian wonders, ‘Aren’t step four and step five the same?’
‘No!’ Shi Qingxuan proclaims, ‘Step five is when you get the boyfriend, and step four is when you get the date! Keep up, Xie-ge!’
‘But...’
‘No, just let her do it.’
‘Okay...’)
+1.
The door opens, and Xie Lian barely has a second to open his mouth before it slams shut once again.
‘San Lang!’
And once again, the door opens, and Hua Cheng hurriedly says, ‘Gege, hello, sorry but I am very, very busy, and um I can’t talk right now!’
With that, he makes to close the door once again, but Xie Lian is not known for his quick reflexes for nothing, so instead he manages to wedge himself between the door at the last second. And perhaps everything was miscalculated, because he ends up in Hua Cheng’s chest right after the door slams closed.
‘Gege,’ Hua Cheng whispers, and just as Xie Lian is about to open his mouth, Hua Cheng’s hands where they had been rested on his waist disappear completely, and Hua Cheng steps backward, out of range. ‘Is there anything you need?’
And Xie Lian—Xie Lian doesn’t like this. He doesn’t like the way Hua Cheng looks so small and vulnerable like he’s afraid of being hurt, by Xie Lian, no less. ‘Doesn’t San Lang want to know what my response is?’
Hua Cheng takes a deep breath, and then he turns away, so that his back is now facing Xie Lian. ‘I...I would prefer it if gege didn’t say it.’
Xie Lian sighs, ‘I’m sorry, San Lang, but this is something that has to be said.’
Hua Cheng lets out a bitter laugh. ‘Then say it if you must.’
Taking a deep breath and hoping his legs aren’t as shaky as he feels, he steps forward, and then again and again, until he can wrap his arms around Hua Cheng’s waist and bury his head comfortably between his shoulders.
And for a second, they stay there, suspended in time, and everything slows down for just a moment, and Xie Lian revels in the peace, in the slow, steady beats of his heart as he stays pressed to Hua Cheng.
Xie Lian’s closed his eyes, but he lets go just the tiniest bit when he feels Hua Cheng shift under him. ‘San Lang...?’
And suddenly he’s enveloped in a hug, and Hua Cheng holds him tight and Xie Lian thinks that he fits perfectly into the crook of Hua Cheng’s arms, and that he never wants to leave this warm embrace.
‘Gege,’ Hua Cheng says, whispers, ‘Gege, you shouldn’t get my hopes up.’
Xie Lian’s heart pangs painfully at this, that Hua Cheng still thinks himself undeserving of Xie Lian’s love, that Hua Cheng believes that even now, Xie Lian would reject him—
‘San Lang,’ he says, drawing his arms back and placing his hands on Hua Cheng’s cheeks, ‘San Lang, look at me.’
Hua Cheng does.
‘San Lang,’ Xie Lian says, and fighting a blush, he continues, ‘I love you.’
Hua Cheng stops breathing for a moment, and despite the embarrassed heat running through his face Xie Lian holds strong and stares up at Hua Cheng, telling him to look at his eyes, his face, everything to prove that he does love Hua Cheng and that he would want no one else.
‘I love you,’ Xie Lian repeats, as if Hua Cheng hadn’t heard him the first time. ‘I love you so much, San Lang.’
‘Gege,’ Hua Cheng says, but he doesn’t continue. Instead, he drops his face down into the crook of Xie Lian’s neck and shoulder and Xie Lian smiles, hands falling down to stroke Hua Cheng’s back, to comfort him as long as it’s needed.
They don’t say anything. They don’t need to, not when their silence speaks for itself, not when Xie Lian starts to wriggle after standing so long, not when Hua Cheng leads him to the couch and they never stop hugging and Xie Lian thinks that Hua Cheng looks so beautiful when he’s smiling like this, and he’s sure that his own grin is just as wide.
‘Gege,’ Hua Cheng says, when it is evening, after Xie Lian had dozed off on his chest, ‘Gege, I love you.’
‘I love San Lang too,’ Xie Lian says, and in a move that would be considered bold for him, reaches up to press a chaste kiss to Hua Cheng’s lips—
And immediately curls into a ball, mortified at what he’d done.
‘Gege,’ Hua Cheng says, and he’s trying to sound concerned, but Xie Lian knows that he’s actually trying not to laugh, ‘Gege, come out, please.’
‘No,’ Xie Lian declares.
‘Or else...’
Hua Cheng trails off, and Xie Lian isn’t given more of a warning before hands descend upon his sides and start tickling him.
‘No! Stop! Stop—ah! Okay, okay I’ll come out!’
Hua Cheng sits back with a wide grin, and Xie Lian does not pout at him. He also definitely doesn’t smile when Hua Cheng coos at him and reaches forward once again to press another kiss to his lips.
But he might be the one to dive back in for more kisses.
[shi qingxuan!!!!!!!!!]
ok look i know you said you wouldn’t bang until after the third date but how far have you gone