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It started when Yu Wenzhou was still a trainee, about to debut as captain and had just finished watching Hundred Blossoms get decimated by Excellent Era and Yu Wenzhou wandered off to reflect on what he’d just seen. Huang Shaotian had run off to practice, determined to one day bring down the famed Battle God, leaving Yu Wenzhou alone with his thoughts on the match. He found a quiet corridor and began to unload his thoughts about the match and Ye Qiu’s tactics.
He was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of a door opening and Yu Wenzhou’s eyes went wide when he spotted both Ye Qiu and Wu Xuefeng leaving a room. They were too far away for Yu Wenzhou to hear what they were saying and he was already sliding away, before they could notice him. Yu Wenzhou frowned as he couldn’t help but notice that the two were not as euphoric as he expected, having just won their third championship.
“Perhaps it loses its lustre by the third time,” but even in the privacy of his own head, Yu Wenzhou was certain that wasn’t it. The way Ye Qiu was sticking so closely to his partner’s side, it was almost as if Excellent Era’s captain was determined not to lose him. And yet.
And yet the masked regret in his eyes suggested that Ye Qiu knew his long-time partner was already lost. And that all there was left to do was say goodbye. Yu Wenzhou darted out of the corridor before he intruded any further, but he couldn’t get the image of Ye Qiu’s quiet sorrow out of his mind.
Later, when there was no one around to see him, Yu Wenzhou could be found sitting up at his desk, the meagre light illuminating his notebook where he was slowly sketching out the expression he’d seen on Ye Qiu’s face. His focus, unlike most pictures of the elusive Battle God, was not on his hands but focused on his eyes, the way sorrow clouded his already dark eyes and pulled at his lips.
As the drawing began to take shape, Yu Wenzhou couldn’t help but wonder what Ye Qiu would look like with delight lining his features, what he would look like if a smile was tugging at his lips instead of sadness. He found himself curious about whether Ye Qiu’s dark eyes would shine in the sun or seem to absorb the light instead, like twin black holes. Yu Wenzhou hummed softly to himself as he continued to immortalise Ye Qiu on the page well into the night.
A few weeks later Yu Wenzhou had to admit that he needed a new notebook for tactics, having filled his usual one with sketches of Ye Qiu and nothing else. He was hoping that no one cared enough about his notetaking to notice but he wasn’t surprised when Huang Shaotian’s eyes zeroed in on the new book almost immediately. He began talking soon after that.
“Yu Wenzhou you must be doing nothing but coming up with tactics since the season three finals because you’ve already replaced your notebook since then and you hadn’t used that many pages in the first place! Were you inspired watching senior Ye? Did you decide that you’re going to be the one to take him down? Will you need me to help you? Ah that’s a stupid question, of course you’ll need me, can I see what you wrote?” Not waiting for an answer Huang Shaotian grabbed at the notebooks, Yu Wenzhou winced when one fell open to the first sketch of Ye Qiu he’d drawn and Huang Shaotian stared at him with wide golden eyes.
“Shaotian-“
“I didn’t know you had a crush on senior Ye.” Of all the things Yu Wenzhou expected his friend to say, that was not on the list. He found himself gaping at Huang Shaotian, who was too busy flicking through the notebook to notice. “These are really good drawings but why does he look so sad? He looks like he’s losing someone important to him, why do you draw him like that?” Yu Wenzhou blinked in confusion while Huang Shaotian simply gazed at him expectantly and he found himself lost for words.
“I don’t- I don’t have a crush on senior Ye.” Once the words were out of his mouth, Yu Wenzhou nearly wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the idea but Huang Shaotian merely rolled his eyes as he pointed to a close up of Ye Qiu’s eyes that Yu Wenzhou was still working on.
“You’re drawing him all the time Wenzhou, you’re not drawing anyone except senior Ye, this is the obvious conclusion. You can say that it isn’t a crush as much as you want but there isn’t any way to hide the fact that all you do now is draw senior Ye, why are you drawing him so sad though, he’s always smug, you should draw him with that smug smile he has when he wins something-“ Yu Wenzhou cut him off, knowing that if he didn’t, there was no chance Huang Shaotian would fall silent.
“I admire senior Ye, that’s the reason for the sketches,” Yu Wenzhou chose to ignore the eyeroll Huang Shaotian offered at that, “that’s the expression he had after the finals, I saw him with Wu Xuefeng and he just looked upset.” Huang Shaotian frowned before his face lit up in understanding and he nodded, more to himself than Yu Wenzhou.
“Then that’s because Wu Xuefeng is retiring, senior Ye is losing his partner so that was their last game together.” The two fell silent for a long moment, Huang Shaotian handing back the notebooks and dropping the subject of Ye Qiu. At least for the moment.
Yu Wenzhou continued sketching Ye Qiu, finding any blurry photos of him and carefully rendering the image onto paper, crisp and clear. In many of the pictures Ye Qiu’s eyes were brighter, lacking the sorrow that Yu Wenzhou had first seen but due to his mask, Yu Wenzhou had still never seen what Ye Qiu looked like with a smile curving his lips instead of a frown.
Season four brought opportunities to get to know Ye Qiu better, particularly when he received the new title of one of four master tacticians. Huang Shaotian seemed more enthused about the title than he was but Yu Wenzhou was aware that his friend was still certain that he had a crush on Ye Qiu.
While Yu Wenzhou was still sketching Glory’s Battle God, he disagreed with Huang Shaotian’s assertion that he was harbouring a crush. Ye Qiu was just a fascinating subject to draw and Yu Wenzhou was certain that the moment he was able to draw Ye Qiu with a smile across his lips then his fixation would end.
He repeated this for the third time in an hour to Huang Shaotian while his friend lounged on his bed with a bag of crisps as he spoke, periodically stabbing at his phone. Yu Wenzhou made a mental note to change his sheets before he went to bed as Huang Shaotian knocked the bag over for the seventh time as he gestured wildly at Yu Wenzhou.
“I’m just saying, you don’t draw anyone as much as you draw Ye Qiu, he’s the only person you draw, which I could take offense at because I am also very good-looking and the fact that you only draw someone as old as Ye Qiu could be taken as an insult against me. You’re lucky I’m such a good-natured person at heart captain because otherwise you could have hurt my feelings badly-“
“Is there a point to this Shaotian?” Yu Wenzhou sighed, not paying attention to the fact that he was sketching Ye Qiu once again.
“The point, captain, the point is that you keep denying that you have feelings for Ye Qiu but I’m sure I’m right. The media can talk about how you can see into the future to decimate tactics but they don’t know that you’re clearly too blind to see what is right in front of your face!” Huang Shaotian glared at the back of his captain’s head, while Yu Wenzhou merely hummed, the sound clearly placating as he continued to sketch. Huang Shaotian began to plan out his next move, just because Yu Wenzhou was in denial didn’t mean he couldn’t play matchmaker, at least a little.
“Hey! Su Mucheng!” Yu Wenzhou elbowed his vice-captain but it was too late, Excellent Era’s new launcher was already turning to face them, curiosity in her eyes.
“What do you want Huang Shaotian?” From her tone, she’d clearly not forgotten Huang Shaotian’s barrage of trash talk during the game but his friend merely smiled widely, excitement radiating off him.
“Do you want to go out to eat, I know loads of good places to eat, you and Ye Qiu should come eat with us!”
“We will all get mobbed if we try and eat just after a match.” Su Mucheng rebutted and Huang Shaotian shrugged casually, ignoring the way Yu Wenzhou was staring at him in a mixture of confusion and shock.
“You could come to Blue Rain! We can eat there, it will be fun!” When Su Mucheng raised one eyebrow Huang Shaotian widened his eyes and stuck out his bottom lip sadly. “We debuted together Su Mucheng, we should bond, isn’t that what old Ye says?” Here Yu Wenzhou watched as Huang Shaotian drew himself up to his full height, which was still below Ye Qiu’s, and stroked a non-existent beard thoughtfully. “Glory isn’t meant to played alone.”
“I don’t say it like that.” Huang Shaotian, to both Su Mucheng and Ye Qiu’s amusement, jumped a foot in the air, spinning around to face Ye Qiu before clutching at his chest to recover. Yu Wenzhou startled slightly but unlike his vice-captain, managed to retain his dignity and offered the older player a polite nod.
“Senior Ye, did you hear Shaotian’s proposal?” Ye Qiu nodded and shrugged one shoulder at his launcher as if to say that there was nothing to lose if they went to eat with Blue Rain. Su Mucheng rolled her eyes and gestured for Huang Shaotian to lead the way and he perked up at once, shooting Yu Wenzhou a wink as he did so, something that Ye Qiu noticed.
Huang Shaotian didn’t shut up the entire way back to Blue Rain’s headquarters, Yu Wenzhou had to admit that he found his friend’s ability to hold three different conversations at once impressive. Of course, he could never tell Huang Shaotian this otherwise he’d never shut up again.
Ye Qiu paused at the doors of Blue Rain and pulled out a pack of cigarettes before patting his pockets for a lighter. Yu Wenzhou watched Huang Shaotian’s eyes light up and alarm bells rang in his head but before he could do anything Huang Shaotian was already pulling the bags of food out of his hands and scanning his key card to let himself and Su Mucheng into the building.
“Ah captain stay out to let Ye Qiu in when he’s done, I’ll serve the food!” Su Mucheng’s face was fixed in a confused stare but followed Huang Shaotian when Ye Qiu nodded at her.
Yu Wenzhou mimicked Ye Qiu by leaning against the wall, offering the older player a slight smile as he resolved to wait in silence but to his surprise, Ye Qiu spoke first, taking a drag from his cigarette, blowing out a stream of smoke and Yu Wenzhou’s eyes were glued to the way his lips pursed as the smoke trailed out in lazy white curls.
“Your tactics were impressive tonight.” Ye Qiu watched as Yu Wenzhou’s eyes went wide for a moment before he composed himself, gentle smile still gracing his lips.
“Thank you senior. I was glad to be able to face you.”
“Why?” Yu Wenzhou paused at the question, unsure of what answer to give, certain that Ye Qiu must know the reverence he inspired and yet he seemed genuinely curious to hear his answer. As he tried to think, he watched another plume of smoke escape Ye Qiu’s lips, watched the red-hot tip of the cigarette until he had his answer.
“Your talent shaped the league. You, along with the first generation of Glory players helped shaped the league into what it is today. Glory wasn’t built overnight, it was the first generation’s efforts that meant I could play tonight and every match after.”
“Play and win.” Ye Qiu’s voice was quiet as he finished his cigarette, bright red tip dying off and he pushed himself off the wall to enter the building before Yu Wenzhou could muster any emotion other than shock.
Yu Wenzhou followed the older player up to the common room on autopilot, not noticing where they were going, too focused on trying to burn the image of smoke curling through the air in his mind. The way the tendrils of smoke floated through the air as Ye Qiu exhaled was something that Yu Wenzhou wanted to capture.
While Ye Qiu and Yu Wenzhou were speaking outside Su Mucheng aimed a suspicious glare at Huang Shaotian as he began to unpack the food bags. Blue Rain’s vice-captain kept his eyes on his task, certain that if he met the launcher’s eyes he might want to crawl away from the force of her glare. Despite looking sweet and gentle, everyone knew that Su Mucheng had a spine of steel and she was willing to wait patiently, stare burning into the back of Huang Shaotian’s head.
“OKAY!” Su Mucheng preened ever so slightly, pleased that it had taken less than a minute for Huang Shaotian to break and she raised one eyebrow expectantly. “I think Yu Wenzhou has a crush on Ye Qiu and I think if he just spends some time with him that he’ll realise that he’s got a crush on him because I’ve tried explaining it to him but he’s too stupid to get it, you’d think a master tactician would be smarter-“
“You want to get Yu Wenzhou and Ye Qiu together?” Huang Shaotian was once again refusing to meet her gaze, running off to fetch bowls and chopsticks. Before she could interrogate him any further, Ye Qiu walked in with Yu Wenzhou behind him. Ye Qiu glanced over at Yu Wenzhou as he began serving out the food and Su Mucheng noticed how the tips of the other’s ears tinted slightly pink. The moment was broken by Huang Shaotian complaining that he was a growing boy and that Ye Qiu’s portion sizes would lead to his growth being stunted.
“Ye Qiu, Ye Qiu how could you be so cruel as to give me such a small portion, look you’ve given Su Mucheng and captain so much food and your bowl is nearly overflowing, when I starve to death in the night you’ll have to mourn me and if this stunts my growth then you’re going to be sorry because it will be your fault!” Ye Qiu looked Huang Shaotian up and down before handing out the bowls and commenting,
“I can’t stunt your growth any further Shaotian.” The loud offended screech that Huang Shaotian let out had Ye Qiu laughing and Yu Wenzhou found himself transfixed by the bright smile stretching across his face, eyes lit up with joy. His fingers itched for his notebook, wanting to capture the way his laughter played across his face. He burned the image into his memory before dropping his eyes to stare at his bowl in case anyone caught him staring. Su Mucheng did. Su Mucheng caught him staring and she hummed quietly to herself at this new development.
Yu Wenzhou’s desk lamp stayed on much later than usual as the shape of Ye Qiu’s lips began to take form, billowing white smoke curling out into the air. On the same page there was a detailed sketch of Ye Qiu’s hands, fingers lightly gripping his cigarette, the only colour on the page being the red glow from the tip of the cigarette. Yu Wenzhou emphasised the curve of Ye Qiu’s lips as he exhaled, the way the smoke seemed to cling to his skin as it drifted away, he felt his cheeks flush slightly at the thought before refocusing on the sketch.
On the next page Yu Wenzhou began to sketch out how Ye Qiu’s lips curled up into a bright grin as he mocked Huang Shaotian, the way his head tilted back, exposing the pale line of his throat. His eyes held clear joy when he laughed, clear in the way his eyes crinkled, the way his lips were curled up into a smile. Yu Wenzhou once again found himself transfixed by the way Ye Qiu looked while he was caught in laughter. He felt a sudden urge to be the one to bring that smile to Ye Qiu’s face, had the overwhelming desire to cause that same joy.
Yu Wenzhou shook his head to dislodge the thought, deciding it was getting late if he was starting to slip into fantasies. He slipped the sketchbook back into its drawer as he got ready for bed, deliberately keeping his thoughts away from Ye Qiu and the way he’d lit up with laughter, the way he’d smiled.
But he couldn’t stop his mind from replaying that image over and over behind his closed eyelids, intent on burning Ye Qiu’s delight into his brain. Yu Wenzhou had to admit to himself, that after so long of drawing sorrow and regret clouding the Battle God’s eyes, he’d found joy in immortalising Ye Qiu’s happiness.
Yu Wenzhou huffed out a groan, his thoughts were only turning to this direction because of Huang Shaotian’s continual insistence that he had a crush on Ye Qiu. He turned over, shutting his eyes firmly and deliberately keeping his mind on reciting Glory tactics until he fell asleep.
Meanwhile Huang Shaotian was busy furiously messaging Su Mucheng, the two having struck up a friendship based around their respective captains.
Su Mucheng: I think you might be right about your captain, his ears turn pink when he looks at Ye Qiu.
Huang Shaotian: You see? When am I ever wrong? I see things as clearly as my captain, in fact, I see this more clearly than he does because he’s being ridiculous about his feelings.
Huang Shaotian: What about Ye Qiu? Do you think he likes Wenzhou as well? Because if he doesn’t like him back, first he’s stupid, my captain is amazing, and secondly I have to make sure Wenzhou stays in denial.
Su Mucheng: :thinking face: I don’t know, I need to know more before I decide.
Huang Shaotian: But you admit I’m partly right?
Su Mucheng: Don’t push it.
Yu Wenzhou found himself spending more and more time with Ye Qiu after Huang Shaotian invited the two over for a meal. Even without Huang Shaotian’s increasingly transparent attempts to get the two together before running away, Yu Wenzhou was spending a lot of his free time in Ye Qiu’s company. Even when the two weren’t in the same city they would message back and forth. As time passed, it became less and less focused on Glory and was merely the two taking the time to catch up with one another.
Yu Wenzhou: Senior Ye I meant to congratulate you on winning the Best Partners award along with Su Mucheng, please pass on my congratulations to her as well.
Ye Qiu: Yu Wenzhou you don’t have to call me senior, you can just call me Ye Qiu.
Yu Wenzhou paused as he was suddenly struck with the realisation that although the messaging started off as him seeking out advice from Ye Qiu, it soon turned away from the junior requesting advice, particularly as Yu Wenzhou was no longer in his first season.
Yu Wenzhou: Very well, Ye Qiu, I was wondering what you were planning to do over the summer?
Ye Qiu: Playing Glory and spending time with those who have retired. What are your plans? Shaotian has already yelled about his at length.
Yu Wenzhou huffed out a laugh as he began to type out his reply.
Yu Wenzhou: Shaotian is just excited about the summer he’s been talking about it nonstop to anyone who will listen, will you be visiting Wu Xuefeng?
Ye Qiu found himself frowning at his screen when he spotted Yu Wenzhou avoiding his question. Su Mucheng spotted his frown as she passed by and she tucked herself up next to him with a smile, question dancing in her eyes before she spoke.
“Is Shaotian bothering you about his summer plans again? I think he’s sent them to the entire pro alliance at this point.”
“No, Shaotian has been talking about his summer but I asked Wenzhou about his plans and he didn’t respond.” Su Mucheng tilted her head to side as Ye Qiu continued. “I think he’s avoiding the question.”
Ye Qiu: Are you not going anywhere for the summer?
Yu Wenzhou felt the old ache in his chest at the reminder that he would not be heading home for the summer unlike the rest of Blue Rain. He was glad that he wouldn’t be spending the summer entirely alone, as Huang Shaotian had offered to let him stay over for part of the summer at least but he was resigned to spending most of the summer alone at Blue Rain.
Yu Wenzhou: I’ll be visiting Shaotian during the summer but I’m not going home.
Ye Qiu: Why? Is your family travelling during your time off?
Yu Wenzhou : My parents were not enthused about my career choice. I’m not visiting home until I prove to them that I’ll be leaving Glory behind. Until then they don’t wish to see me.
Ye Qiu felt a stab of sympathy for his friend, wondering how long it had been since Yu Wenzhou had last seen his family, knowing that part of him wished he was still welcome back home by everyone as opposed to just his brother.
Ye Qiu: Do you regret your choice?
Lying on his bed Yu Wenzhou had to pause for a long moment, suddenly aware that he wasn’t sure how to answer. He wanted to be able to say that he didn’t regret choosing Glory, that he was glad that he was here, that he couldn’t imagine trading it all away. And yet. And yet there was the little voice in the back of his head reminding him that he missed his parents. That not being allowed to come home made something tighten in his chest in a cruel mimicry of an asthma attack. Yu Wenzhou found himself staring blankly at his phone screen, not knowing what to write back.
Yu Wenzhou: I don’t regret my choice, but I’m not always certain that I chose right.
The words sat on his screen, mocking him with their indecision, Yu Wenzhou frustrated by his inability to sort out his own feelings, struggling with how to explain how he was glad to be in Glory, didn’t regret fighting to stay in Glory and yet at the same time something within him ached to go home, ached to spend time with his family once more. He was brought out of his melancholy thoughts by his phone chiming and he looked over to see two notifications.
Ye Qiu: If you’re free during the summer you could come visit me.
Huang Shaotian: Captain you’re late for movie night, hurry up, hurry up, I know your hands move slow but your feet don’t if you don’t come down here soon I’m going to eat your snacks, hey Zheng Xuan! Just because you’re moving slowly doesn’t mean I didn’t notice you stealing my snacks-
Yu Wenzhou smiled at the words, Ye Qiu’s message reminding him that just because he couldn’t go home didn’t mean he had to spend the summer alone. And Huang Shaotian’s attempt at using voice to text reminded him that he had company in that moment and there was no reason to stew in his emotions when he could be spending time with his team.
His summer plans pushed from his mind, Yu Wenzhou grabbed a blanket and jogged through Blue Rain to where the movie was being played, settling in with his teammates and growing absorbed quickly, laughing along as he relaxed in the homey atmosphere.
Yu Wenzhou wasn’t one to get upset. After two seasons with him, Ye Xiu was well-aware of his friend’s mild temperament, often standing in direct contrast to the way Huang Shaotian went off like a firework at the slightest provocation, eagerly throwing a barrage of trash talk at the unfortunate victim until Yu Wenzhou coughed politely beside him.
Ye Xiu had never seen Yu Wenzhou like this before, hands raking through his hair violently, pacing back and forth as he muttered under his breath silently, hands curled into tight fists, leaving crescent shaped dents in his skin as he continued to pace.
Ye Xiu felt his mouth drop open in shock when Yu Wenzhou actually let loose a soft shout but despite it being quiet it was laced with frustration, as if what he’d really wanted was to scream. His normally pale skin was flushed and despite his concern, Ye Xiuhad a fleeting thought that the colour suited his friend and he wondered what Yu Wenzhou would look like if he were flushed for other, more pleasant, reasons.
The thought was forcibly pushed out of his head as Ye Xiu pulled his concentration back to his friend’s visible distress. He wasn’t sure if he should speak up or leave Yu Wenzhou to work out his issues alone but when Yu Wenzhou sank to the floor, clutching at his knees, Ye Xiu stepped into the room fully, clearing his throat to draw Yu Wenzhou’s attention.
Yu Wenzhou’s gaze snapped up and his eyes widened in shock but before he could get up, Ye Xiu shut the door behind him and sat beside his friend on the floor. There was a long stretch of silence as Ye Xiu wondered if Blue Rain’s captain would break the silence first but when Yu Wenzhou didn’t speak, he was willing to start the conversation.
“What’s wrong?” Yu Wenzhou kept his eyes on his knees, unwilling to meet Ye Xiu’s eyes before he spoke, voice soft in the quiet of the room.
“We lost again.” Ye Xiu thought back to the match he’d just seen, remembering that for the second time since Yu Wenzhou had become captain, Blue Rain had failed to reach the semi-finals, falling short once more. He opened his mouth to speak but Yu Wenzhou didn’t let him, still talking. “Management are disappointed, there needs to be someone to take the fall.”
“Not you?” Ye Xiu surprises himself with the viscerally negative reaction he had to the prospect of Yu Wenzhou leaving Glory. But the small, sad smile pulling at Yu Wenzhou’s lips made something in his chest grow cold.
“I am the captain Ye Qiu, it’s right that I take the brunt of the responsibility. If Blue Rain doesn’t at least reach the championship next season they’ve said there is no reason to renew my contract.”
“Will you transfer to another team?” Ye Xiu hates that Yu Wenzhou’s laugh is full of surprise and dismissal, shaking his head, regret clouding his eyes.
“With my hand speed senior? If we’d won a championship perhaps I could transfer, but no.” Excellent Era captain watches as Yu Wenzhou’s face smooths into acceptance, rueful smile tugging at his lips, “if my time in Glory is coming to an end then all I can do is enjoy what little time I have left.”
Ye Xiu startled when Yu Wenzhou nudged against his shoulder, eyes calm once more, showcasing none of his previous frustrations or regrets.
“I never expected to stay in Glory this long, while I may not have a championship, I still don’t regret choosing Glory.”
“There’s still time,” In his own mind, Ye Xiu winced at the desperation in his tone but Yu Wenzhou didn’t seem to notice, shoulders lifting in a gentle shrug.
“Perhaps, if we win the championship, management said they would be willing to revisit this issue.”
“Does Shaotian know?” Ye Xiu watched as Yu Wenzhou frowned at his hands once more, guilt flickering across his face.
“Shaotian- Shaotian wouldn’t be able to face our managers if he knew that I was being pressured to step down. He’s passionate, he doesn’t need to involved.”
“Are you not Blue Rain’s Sword and Curse?” Yu Wenzhou smiled at the title, eyes warming at the reminder as he let out a quiet laugh.
“We don’t come as a package, Shaotian’s playstyle doesn’t have to revolve around compensating for my hand speed.” Ye Xiu wondered how he’d missed the fact that Yu Wenzhou didn’t value himself due to his hand speed and he couldn’t hold back his frown. While it would be a lie to assert that Yu Wenzhou’s hand speed didn’t affect his ability in Glory at all, to reduce him to his hand speed, it rubbed him the wrong way.
“You’ll make it.” When Yu Wenzhou looked like he was about to protest, Ye Xiu didn’t give him the chance, standing from his place on the floor and extending his hand to his friend. Yu Wenzhou’s head was tilted to the side as he kept his eyes on Ye Xiu, thinking for a long moment before grasping Ye Xiu’s hand firmly and allowing himself to get pulled to his feet.
It felt like a promise.
Just over a year later found Ye Xiu in the crowd at the championship final watching as Blue Rain lifted the championship trophy over their heads. Huang Shaotian seemed to chattering away, mouth moving a mile a minute while Yu Wenzhou looked as if he were in a daze, smile fixed on his face as he looked at the crowd, pure wonder playing across the planes of his face.
Ye Xiu felt something in his chest warm at the sight, felt the tight worry that Yu Wenzhou would be leaving Glory loosen in his chest. And he couldn’t take his eyes off his friend. He couldn’t look away from the almost child-like joy and wonder that graced Yu Wenzhou’s face. Under the bright stage lights, illuminated and full of triumph, Ye Xiu found himself transfixed. The old thought came back to him, and he was pleased to see that when Yu Wenzhou was flushed with happiness, he looked truly wonderful.
Beside him in the stands Su Mucheng watched the way Ye Xiu’s eyes followed Yu Wenzhou’s every move, saw the way his eyes softened at the sight of his friend and she thought back to the conversation she’d had with Huang Shaotian a few weeks ago.
Su Mucheng: Ye Qiu keeps his cards close to his chest, if you want to know for sure you have to ask him.
Huang Shaotian: If I ask him and he doesn’t like captain then it will be uncomfortable, I don’t want to ruin Wenzhou’s friendship with him! Just because captain’s admitted (finally) that he likes Ye Qiu doesn’t mean I should just blurt it out without thinking about the consequences.
Su Mucheng: I can’t tell how Ye Qiu feels about Yu Wenzhou, you need a better plan.
Huang Shaotian: :angry:
Su Mucheng allowed a small smile to grace her lips, certain of Ye Xiu’s feelings now, certain that Yu Wenzhou’s feelings were reciprocated. She pulled her phone from her pocket to fire off a quick message to Huang Shaotian, knowing he’d see it later on.
Su Mucheng: Ye Qiu likes your captain back.
She was fully prepared to deal with the barrage of texts this would lead to and she slipped her phone back into her pocket only to realise that Ye Xiu had vanished.
Meanwhile Yu Wenzhou had finished with the press interviews and slipped away from his team to find Ye Qiu waiting for him outside the arena and tucked away from the crowds. Ye Qiu had a cigarette hanging loosely from his fingers and the corners of his lips were curled up in a smug smile which cause Yu Wenzhou to sigh even as he smiled.
“You were right senior, I made it.”
“Are you staying?” Ye Qiu took a long inhale while Yu Wenzhou watched him hold the smoke in his lungs before exhaling out and letting the puffs of smoke curl away in the air.
“I’m staying.” After that the two lapsed into silence and Ye Qiu let himself relax with the knowledge that he wouldn’t be losing Yu Wenzhou. The reason he was so worried about this had finally hit him but Ye Qiu was content to just relax in his company and put off acting on his feelings. For now.
“It was good to see you again Ye Qiu.” Yu Wenzhou’s pleasant smile was stretched across his lips as he gathered up his things. Huang Shaotian was lounging on one of Blue Rain’s sofas, tapping away at his phone and Yu Wenzhou called out a goodbye to him as well before he left to speak to the management team.
“Shaotian why aren’t you going to the management meeting?” Huang Shaotian offered a wide yawn at Ye Qiu’s question stretching out until he heard his back pop before answering.
“It’s not a management meeting, I think it’s a contract thing, I offered to go but captain told me I didn’t have to and I don’t like spending time with management, they always want us to do so many more promotional deals now that Zhou Zekai has appeared and is getting so many sponsorship deals.” Ye Qiu hummed quietly in agreement, the pressure within his own team to at the very least show his face was growing heavier and heavier. Huang Shaotian rolled over lazily and managed to kick over one of the notebooks Yu Wenzhou had left on the low table.
“Ah Shaotian, you’re so clumsy-“ Ye Qiu fell silent when he realised what the sketchbook was filled with. On the first page was a detailed sketch of his face, with most of the focus being on his eyes, a great amount of effort seemingly put into capturing the depth of sorrow playing across his face.
The first sketch that Ye Qiu actually recognised was a profile shot of him outside Blue Rain, smoke billowing from his lips, the only colour in the piece focused on the red glow of his cigarette. His hands were rendered carefully, the precise way he held his cigarette, the way his lips parted to allow the smoke to pass his lips, all lovingly laid out upon the page.
Huang Shaotian was uncharacteristically silent and when Ye Qiu’s gaze fell on him he nearly squeaked as he tried to duck behind a pillow, unsure exactly how his friend was about to react and wanting a barrier between them in case Ye Qiu decided to throw something.
“You knew about this?” Huang Shaotian smiled sheepishly, eyes flickering towards the exits of the room, wondering if he could grab an opportunity to escape but he dismissed the plan almost as soon as it formed. Ye Qiu had longer legs than him and running only to get tackled to the ground to few minutes later would only end in his embarrassment.
“Ahh Ye Qiu, of course I knew, Yu Wenzhou is my captain, I know everything about him!” Ye Qiu found himself trailing his fingers over the sketches, an expression Huang Shaotian didn’t recognise flickering through his eyes.
“Does it mean-“ Ye Qiu trailed off, looking over at Huang Shaotian for an answer but Huang Shaotian was already shaking his head.
“You have to ask Wenzhou, or you could just stare at him, I don’t know how you master tacticians communicate, the last time all four of you were in a room together you never said a single word and just stared menacingly at each other for a few hours before leaving and-“
“Shaotian.”
“Don’t say my name like that I’m helping you! Captain’s meeting ends at five, you should just talk to him.” Ye Qiu nodded, agreeing with him, making his way from the common area, sketchbook still in his hands.
Huang Shaotian fumbled for his phone, fingers flying furiously across the keys as he dashed off a quick message to Su Mucheng.
Huang Shaotian: IT’S FINALLY HAPPENING, YE QIU IS GOING TO TALK TO CAPTAIN!!
He was suddenly struck with the realisation that if he didn’t explain at least a little to his captain he was probably going to get stuck with extra training for months and would suffer for much longer after that. Huang Shaotian looked at the clock and realised he had time to catch Yu Wenzhou before he made it to his room and he bolted through the corridors, managing to catch his captain just before he turned towards the dorm rooms.
“CAPTAIN!” Yu Wenzhou turned, one eyebrow raised at the volume Huang Shaotian had just reached.
“There’s no need to be so loud.” Huang Shaotian nodded, as he gasped for breath, trying to get out his words around his panting.
“Captain I may have accidently kicked off your sketchbook and Ye Qiu saw it,” when Yu Wenzhou’s eyes widened, he bulldozed on before he could get interrupted, “It’s fine, I didn’t tell him anything but I did tell him to talk to you if he wanted to know more so he’s waiting for you at your room and I really am sorry captain but this is your opportunity to confess, okay I’ll leave you two to talk now!”
Before Yu Wenzhou could react, Huang Shaotian was already sprinting in the opposite direction and he shut his eyes for a long moment to compose himself before he turned towards his room. Like Huang Shaotian said, Ye Qiu was waiting outside his door, flicking idly through his sketchbook. Yu Wenzhou fought his blush down and he unlocked his room and motioned for Ye Qiu to follow him.
Ye Qiu spoke first, pointing to the first sketch Yu Wenzhou had ever done of him, confusion in his eyes.
“This one, when did you draw it? All the others I remember where we were, I don’t recognise this one.” The tips of Yu Wenzhou’s ears pinkened and he couldn’t meet Ye Qiu’s eyes. Excellent Era’s captain took the opportunity to admire the way the flush was slowly working its way down Yu Wenzhou’s neck.
“It was after the season three finals.” Ye Qiu frowned and Yu Wenzhou elaborated, “I found a quiet corridor to make notes and I saw you and Wu Xuefeng coming out of a room. I left but your expression stuck with me.” Understanding spread across Ye Qiu’s face and Yu Wenzhou pulled his gaze from the floor to meet his friend’s eyes. “I apologise if this makes you uncomfortable and I am willing to give you space to-“
“Was it difficult drawing from memory?” Yu Wenzhou fell silent, confusion at the sudden question clear in his eyes and Ye Qiu noticed that they were a deep, dark shade of blue.
“I- a little difficult but I got used to it with practice-“
“Did you ever think about asking me to pose for you?” This time Yu Wenzhou was startled enough for his lips to part slightly and Ye Qiu’s sly smirk was distracting the other player from focusing on the conversation.
“I- I never thought about- I didn’t think you’d ever be willing-“ Ye Qiu had never seen Yu Wenzhou so flustered before and he placed the sketchbook on the bed before slowly walking closer and closer to Yu Wenzhou until he had the other pressed up against the wall. At this point Yu Wenzhou’s flush had spread from his ears to his cheeks and down the long line of his neck and Ye Qiu’s gaze was fixed on the way his throat bobbed as he swallowed, eyes following the motion until Yu Wenzhou cleared his throat.
“Ye Qiu, what do you want?” Yu Wenzhou tongue flicked out to wet his lips and Ye Qiu’s smile was sharp and knowing. Despite the two being the same height, Yu Wenzhou couldn’t help but feel that Ye Qiu was towering over him.
“Ah Wenzhou, I just want to know one thing,” Blue Rain’s captain nodded, eyes wide and cheeks still flushed, “do you like me?” Yu Wenzhou swallowed, looking away from Ye Qiu’s focused gaze before answering.
“I do.”
“I just have one more question, can I kiss you?” Ye Qiu watched smugly as Yu Wenzhou’s lips parted in surprise, his prize was within his grasp, all Yu Wenzhou had to do was say-
“Yes,” the word was breathed out softly and that was all the permission Ye Qiu waited for before tilting Yu Wenzhou’s head to the side and capturing him in a kiss.
“Ye Qiu’s lips are chapped,” Yu Wenzhou thought to himself hazily but that was his last coherent thought before he got swept up in the taste of Ye Qiu.
Ye Qiu’s fingers tangled into the hair at the nape of Yu Wenzhou’s neck and the man in his arms shuddered at the pressure, letting out a soft noise of want that had Ye Qiu’s spare arm wrapping securely around his waist and pulling him close to him. Time seemed to slip away as the two remained lost in each other until the moment was broken by a knock on the door.
“Captain? Old Ye? Is everything okay? If you don’t answer I’m going to open this door!” Ye Qiu broke away with a quiet, frustrated sigh, yanking the door open to stare down Huang Shaotian who took one look at Yu Wenzhou, slumped against the wall, eyes dazed, lips swollen and did the smart thing by running away. Ye Qiu let the door slip shut behind him and Yu Wenzhou’s eyes were fixed on his own as his lips curved into a sweet, secret smile.
“I really like you Ye Qiu.” His heart warmed at the sentiment and he pulled his now-boyfriend into his arms to whisper hotly in his ear.
“I really like you too Yu Wenzhou.” After that a comfortable silence fell and Ye Qiu was content to hold his boyfriend in his arms.
“Do we need to thank Shaotian?” Ye Qiu’s heartfelt groan drew a laugh out of Yu Wenzhou as Excellent Era’s captain buried his face in his boyfriend’s neck.
“No.” The words were muffled but emphatic, “he wouldn’t ever let it go-“ Ye Qiu was interrupted by their phones chiming and the same text greeted them.
Huang Shaotian: Captain I’d like to have no okra ever for at least two months and old Ye, Su Mucheng says you owe her as well.
Ye Qiu huffed out a defeated sigh but he protested when Yu Wenzhou began typing out a quick thank you to his vice-captain, trying the grab the phone out of his hands.
“Don’t tell him he’s right Wenzhou, he’ll be smug about this for the rest of his life!” Yu Wenzhou seemed unconcerned about fuelling his vice captain’s smug ‘I told you so-s’ as he continued to type, dodging the hands that kept trying to pluck his phone from him.
“Shaotian helped out, we should show we’re grateful.” Ye Qiu watched as the message was sent and Huang Shaotian’s reply came through only a few moments later.
Yu Wenzhou: Of course Shaotian, no okra, thank you, both to you and Su Mucheng.
Huang Shaotian: You’re welcome captain, I’m glad you and Ye Qiu got together.
“See, he doesn’t plan on-“ Yu Wenzhou was cut off by another message coming in and he fell silent when Ye Qiu was proved right.
Huang Shaotian: Also, I told you so!
Ye Qiu raised one eyebrow at his boyfriend who merely shrugged, switching off his phone and smiling so sweetly that Ye Qiu pushed all thoughts of Huang Shaotian from his head in favour of pulling Yu Wenzhou into another kiss.
“Better than any championship.” Was the last thought from either of them before they sank into each other blissfully. And it had only taken them three years.