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It started- well, Huang Shaotian doesn’t like to admit how it started but it started when Yu Wenzhou sent him a selfie. His captain had been busy with promotional material for Blue Rain the entire day, sitting in with management and discussing how to properly promote the team. Huang Shaotian shuddered at the notion, he’d managed to get out of it when Yu Wenzhou pointed out that the team had training and that he didn’t want to have both the captain and the vice-captain absent at the same time. When management tried to argue, Yu Wenzhou’s voice hardened and his lips quirked into a stiff, polite smile as he firmly stated that either he or Huang Shaotian would attend the meeting, not both. Huang Shaotian spent this time subtly squirming in his seat, cursing his instinctive reaction when Yu Wenzhou grew forceful.
Huang Shaotian was brought out of his thoughts when his phone chimed and he snuck it out of his pocket in order to peek at the screen. It was a selfie of Yu Wenzhou, sitting up in his chair like a good captain should but with the slightest quirk to his lips, a secret smile, just for Huang Shaotian. Blue Rain kept their eyes firmly upon their screens, refusing to acknowledge the fact that their vice-captain had just sighed like a lovestruck teenager. Despite being together for over three years, Huang Shaotian was as besotted as ever.
Five minutes later found Yu Wenzhou’s eyes routinely flickering to his phone, wondering why his boyfriend hadn’t replied yet. Normally his vice-captain sent off messages at lightning fast speeds, fast enough that Yu Wenzhou barely managed to compose a reply to the first message before the next five came through.
Huang Shaotian mumbled unhappily to himself as he tried to find the right words to describe the warmth in his chest that Yu Wenzhou’s little smile caused. Trying to find the right words that encompassed the entirety of his feelings and he found himself at a loss for words, the blinking cursor taunting him as he stared at his phone.
Blue Rain kept their eyes on their screens but more pointedly this time as Huang Shaotian sighed dreamily for the third time within the last five minutes. They were certain that Yu Wenzhou’s instructions had stated that Huang Shaotian was also supposed to be training but their vice-captain was spending more time tapping at his screen before shaking his head and trying again.
Without their captain there to pull Huang Shaotian out of his pining, never mind the fact Yu Wenzhou hadn’t even left the building, Blue Rain was of the opinion that it was easier and less stressful to just leave Huang Shaotian to it. He eventually returned to practice after he figured out what he wanted to say and they preferred to wait for him to do so.
Yu Wenzhou jolted when his phone buzzed, having forgotten that he was waiting for an answer. He ignored the confused look on the marketing team’s faces, glancing up at their presentation and nodding along until they stopped staring at him. Once he was sure their attention had shifted back to planning- Yu Wenzhou tuned in for a moment- planning to redesign the team uniforms as a thin excuse for a photoshoot, he snuck a glance at his phone.
His face broke into a bright smile when he opened the notification to be met with Huang Shaotian’s bright smile, index and thumb touching to form an OK hand. His hair was messy, blond strands scattered across his forehead, eyes gleaming with affection and Yu Wenzhou felt his chest fill with enough affection that he thought he might burst from it.
A slight cough brought him out of his thoughts and Yu Wenzhou felt his cheeks flush slightly at the unspoken reprimand and he straightened in his chair in favour of continuing to make notes. Of course the notes were abandoned once the eyes were off him in favour of him sending another photo to Huang Shaotian.
Neither of them could pinpoint when it became a habit but soon their message history with one another was made up of photos and nothing else. Occasionally they added a caption but for the most part they spent their time sending selfies to one another.
Ye Xiu twitched, ever so slightly when Huang Shaotian’s phone buzzed again and his friend didn’t even bother trying to look less eager, hands grabbing for his phone and his whole face softened as he opened up his messages. Blue Rain’s vice-captain’s face split into a smile at the picture of Yu Wenzhou holding up a cup of coffee, teasing smile on his lips, a clear sign that he’d picked up on Huang Shaotian’s efforts to hide the coffee beans and the smile was a signifier of his victory.
Ye Xiu watched as Huang Shaotian arranged his face into an expression of mock disgust, even as he struggled to hide his smile. He may have lost this battle but the next time he hid the coffee beans he’d hide them so well that Yu Wenzhou would never find them, hidden so well that they’d never see the light of day again-
“Can you even control your face when you see him?” Ye Xiu’s question dragged Huang Shaotian’s attention away from his phone, confusion written in his eyes.
“What are you talking about now, what kind of nonsense are you deciding to spew now, I don’t understand why you need to speak nonsense right now, we’re not in a match, there’s no need to spend time distracting me from anything, my focus is entirely on you, my close friend, of course I’d give you all my attention there’s no need to try and bait my attention Ye Xiu I thought you were supposed to be smart-“
“You are so adept at recognising nonsense, it must be because of all the nonsense you spew out.” Before Huang Shaotian could do anything except open his mouth in offence, Ye Xiu continued to speak, pressing his advantage, “I was talking about the fact that all you ever do is look soppily at your phone when Wenzhou sends you a picture and you always send one back immediately.”
“That’s not true!” Huang Shaotian felt the urge to argue, even if he knew that Ye Xiu was right and his friend raised one eyebrow before his hand shot out and he grabbed Huang Shaotian’s phone, scrolling through the gallery, using his height advantage to keep it out of reach.
“Every photo in your gallery is of Yu Wenzhou.”
“That isn’t true! This one doesn’t have Wenzhou in it!” Ye Xiu shot him a smug smirk as he shook his head.
“That’s a picture of Wenzhou’s jacket.” Huang Shaotian scowled but then he thought about the fact that Yu Wenzhou’s gallery looked similar and he couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face at the thought. When Ye Xiu caught the expression he rolled his eyes, shoving the phone back into Huang Shaotian’s hands and pushing him towards the door.
“Get out, you’re being too lovesick today.” It was a testament to how distracted by the thought of Yu Wenzhou’s smile Huang Shaotian was when he went willingly, not even stopping to say goodbye to his friend and Ye Xiu huffed out a laugh at how besotted he was.
He ignored the fact that his face did something similar when he thought about his own boyfriends.
Yu Wenzhou was sat at his desk when Huang Shaotian returned, curtains open, allowing sunlight to shine through. The light caught on his face, haloing him in the soft light of the afternoon and Huang Shaotian’s phone was in his hand before he could really think about it, capturing the scene before wrapping his arms around Yu Wenzhou’s shoulders. He could feel Yu Wenzhou’s hum of acknowledgement in his chest and he ducked his head to press a kiss to his boyfriend’s neck.
“How was your visit with Ye Xiu?” Huang Shaotian’s reply was muffled against his neck and Yu Wenzhou smiled.
“He bullied me, spent the time teasing me, gave me the smaller snack, wanted to starve me captain, you have to cuddle with me now or I might not recover.” Huang Shaotian crowed with triumph when Yu Wenzhou set aside his notebook in favour of standing, the motion effortless, even with Huang Shaotian clinging to him like a limpet.
Huang Shaotian pressed himself tightly against Yu Wenzhou’s side, arranging them until his head was pillowed against his chest, one arm tucked securely around him.
“So warm, always so warm, so good to cuddle, such a good cuddler-“ Yu Wenzhou smiled as his boyfriend’s words trailed off, sleep claiming him. Not that Huang Shaotian was silent while he slept, he mumbled between his breathes, even if the words didn’t quite take shape.
Yu Wenzhou shifted carefully until he had his phone in hand, taking the opportunity to add to his collection of photos of his boyfriend. The picture, Huang Shaotian cuddled up against him, face slack with sleep, made his heart swell with affection and he placed his phone on the bedside table, other hand stroking up and down his boyfriend’s back.
He let himself get lulled to sleep, the quiet noises that Huang Shaotian was making soothing him until his eyes slipped shut and he drifted off, dreaming of the bright smiles Huang Shaotian always offered him. Yu Wenzhou’s lips curved into a smile, as it always did when he thought of his vice-captain’s blinding grin.
They were content.