Work Text:
***
“Congratulations on graduating, little Mo!” - read he on his way to an exit.
“You too, asshole”.
He didn’t even do two sips from a bottle of water when his phone started ringing. It was a unique ringtone, setting especially for He fucking Tian. Wait, why did he set it anyway?
“Fuck, he won’t even let me drink a goddamn water,” - murmured Guan Shan, staring at an incoming video call. - “What do you want?!” - he answered and choked on. - “What the hell is this?”
“Do you like it?” - Tian was standing with his back to him.
Probably he put the phone on a couch to show himself in a full-body shot.
First what Guan Shan saw were firm back muscles. It appeared to the redhead that Tian got a good pump in a gym or what?! In the meantime, Tian slowly put his hands on the neck, like he knew, that this way his back looks better. But it wasn’t what attracted the redhead’s attention that much. On the left side of the shoulder blade was a new tattoo. The fresh one, under the special shiny film.
“I can’t say, I didn’t see a fucking thing”.
“Young man, how dare you speak like that!” - a random woman got outside of a grocery store and hit him with a bag full of products.
Guan Shan hissed angrily and left the passage, hiding under the sun visor. At least the hot afternoon sun didn’t get here.
“Do you volunteer? Helping old ladies buying food?” - the face of He Tian showed on the screen. He obviously noticed the woman and use one of his wide smiles.
“What’s that tattoo and why the fuck would I volunteer?! Piss off!” - exploded Guan Shan, though he looked around carefully.
“Here, it looks a lot more comprehensive on a sketch. I can’t take off the film yet,” - happy Tian showed him a piece of paper. - “Remember I called you “don’t close mountain”? So this mountain is you. And I’m here.” - he pointed out a bunch of clouds above with his finger. - “Tianshan”.
“The Heavenly Mountain,” – suggested the redhead and momentarily blushed.
“Yeah, in our honor”.
“Moron…” – Guan Shan said, between gritted teeth.
“Come on, that’s cool. I waited for this one for a long time,” – Tian put the sketch away, then took the phone and turned, sitting on the floor.
“Did you get… an education certificate?” – redhead decided to change the topic.
“Yeah, they’ll send me it via post. I passed all exams online”.
“Is it possible now?”
“A lot of things are possible if you want”.
Guan Shan desperately looked at the bottle of water.
“Is it hot outside?” – asked Tian, as if he read his thoughts.
“Yeah… Almost 90 degrees outside since this morning. How high is it now, I’m even scared to imagine”. – he answered, – “I’ll need to go home, and then to the unofficial part of the prom”.
“Decided to celebrate? And who will be there?”
“Kinda all our peers and friends… I’ll meet with Zhang Zheng Xi and we’ll go together”.
Whenever it came to a meeting, Guan Shan caught himself in a weird feeling. He tried not to show he was kinda worried about He Tian's reactions, but he followed his facial expression, his way of saying things, his speed of answering… It was pure insanity, but redhead suspected.
Something in the life of He fucking Tian changed. And this bastard tried to hide it, but why? And why did he continue their communication with such great perseverance? It was unclear to him, but both somehow became dependent on each other. As peculiar as it may sound.
***
“Don’t drink much! – said Tian strictly. – “Hey, I said don’t drink!”
“Don’t drink much or not drinking at all?” – smirked Guan Shan.
He Tian called again after the redhead came home and took a shower. Now he was sitting in the kitchen, enjoying an airflow from an old little fan. It was hot though. But everywhere was hot at the end of the day.
“I mean don’t drink much, because I can tell by your face, that you wanted to get wasted”. – Tian spoke, lying on the bed, apparently placing his phone on a pillow opposite him. He looked sleepy and tired but tried to stay awake.
“Screw you,” - the redhead drained a bottle of water.
It didn’t seem weird anymore, it rather looked like “good mornings” or “good nights”. Sending He Tian to Hell every single day became a replacement for many uncomfortable questions.
“So, I’ll better go,” – frowned Guan Shan. - “Mom will come back soon, I need to surprise her”.
“Good luck, baby,” – smiled Tian.
“Fuck, how many times have I told you. Don’t call me…”
“Sweetheart, are you here?” – mother’s voice came from a hall.
“Yes, mom, I’m in the kitchen!”
He Tian pouted his lips, and Guan Shan angrily showed him a middle finger. He could have sworn this shithead whispered: “baby” again, teasing him when his mother came in.
“Oh, Tian, hello dear!” – waved in the phone happily.
“Good evening, Mrs. Mo” – he sat on the bed and bowed politely right to the camera.
“What a show-off!” - thought Guan Shan. Meanwhile the word “baby” was bouncing in his head like a ball.
He frowned again and hung up, explaining to the mother that they already ended a conversation anyway. He was lucky and the topic changed by itself. They started to discuss an official part of the prom, and the mother, almost in tears, received from him a precious piece of paper, declaring, that her only son is not a retard and still has a chance to successfully integrate into society.
***
“Guan Shan? Why are you awake?”
“I wanna talk”, - slowly mumbled the redhead, keeping a piece of frozen beef covered in a towel next to his face.
“That’s too weird. Has something happened?” – answered He Tian with a husky voice. It strangely calmed the redhead. – “Turn a video on”.
“Nope”.
“Come on. I wanna look at you”.
Guan Shan heard a silent laugh and put the phone in front of himself, suddenly thinking: “Why the Hell not?”
“Shit, little Mo…” – He Tian’s voice started to sound worried.
But redhead didn’t even hear the following questions. He continued looking at Tian’s messy dark hair. Always with a perfectly styled haircut, now He Tian was lying in his bed looking unusually calm and cozy. A lamp was lit behind, but Guan Shan hasn’t seen anything on his face, except the goddamn hair… He suddenly burst into a laugh.
“What has happened, I’m asking you?!”
“You’re such a jerk!”- redhead couldn’t help laughing.
The whole body hurt: his cheekbone, which met with a firm fist, thorns in the palm of his hands, which caught gravel on the road, his ribs… Guan Shan imagined himself as a beaten dog, who luckily escaped from a fight, but at the same time, he felt so damn good about it, that all inconvenience is left in the background.
She Li was begging to stop when Guan Shan was beating the shit out of this bastard’s ugly face. He hadn’t even worried about blood, flowing from the nose down the chin and neck. She Li had cursed him when peers were trying to drag them apart. And then they were telling the police, that everything was perfect and there were no signs of trouble. The others were confused and Guan Shan had heard silent whispers. He was taken to the nearest police station. The mother was on a shift in the hospital and it appeared big luck for him when the police took this situation with understanding. The prom, alcohol, fighting because of girls…
“I’ve never seen you laughing”, - said He Tian at last.
He lien back and held the phone at arm’s length. Guan Shan could see a wrinkled pillow, part of a blanket, and his naked shoulders.
“Does it hurt?”
“Nope, it’s nothing”, - redhead stop laughing, but the smile still stayed on his face.
“It looks bad. If I were you I’d see the doctor”.
‘I’ll go tomorrow”. – Guan Shan agreed and then smirked, - “Oh, I forgot sending you to Hell”.
“I’ll save it in my sweet memory box,” – He Tian smiled in response.
Redhead didn’t know what to add, but he didn’t use to be silent. And then it struck him.
“Would you like to drink with me?” – he turned and reached for the fridge handle.
“At 3 a.m.?”
“Whatever, save it in your sweet memory box”.
“I’ve got only beer”, - He Tian got out of bed.
In complete silence, Guan Shan could hear his steps.
“Heineken is okay?”
“Show-off”, - answered the redhead, cheering him with a bottle of Tsingtao.
He tried not to look, but his gaze caught He Tian’s half-naked body all the time. The video quality was not good enough, but this bastard still looked impressive.
“Do you go to the gym or what?” – Guan Shan immediately regretted asking.
“Nope, why? Already fall in love?” – He Tian rotates the camera down. His arms, abs, and black boxers suddenly appeared in the frame.
“Fuck you, you sick fuck!” – resented the redhead and took a few noisy swigs accompanied by He Tian’s laugh.
“Who did you fight with this time?” – He Tian’s face returned.
“You know,” – Guan Shan looked at the pack of cigarettes with a little hesitation. Then he opened a window widely. – “Today we remembered how we all met. How the whole class was gathered, from where we know each other and so on”.
He lit the cigarette and He Tian did the same, going to the balcony. Guan Shan heard the sounds of a big megalopolis. Tian still was holding his phone in front of him but looked somewhere else. Maybe it was a big road under his windows.
“Zhang Zheng Xi reminded me how all four of us met.”
“When you smashed his head with a rock”? – He Tian took a quick look at the redhead.
“I apologized for this”.
Tian didn’t say anything in response.
“And then I beat the shit out of She Li”.
“Oh, gee, that’s something…”
“I felt much better. And it was kinda right? I don’t give a fuck what’s gonna happen next. If this jerk will send a whole gang for me or come alone. He obviously needs time to recover. Anyway, I really glad I did it”.
“I also have something to apologize for” – murmured He Tian unexpectedly.
“You have? Seriously?” – redhead took another sip and smirked.
“I know, I’m not easy… But something is bothering me for a long time”.
“Go ahead, strike, since we’re so frank,” – Guan Shan was surprisingly calm.
Bruises and scratches ached, and it was extremely hot. The kitchen was full of cigarette smoke. Redhead thought that he has to open all windows, just not to upset his mother when she’ll come back. But right now he felt lazy like someone glued his ass to the chair. He Tian gazed at him, and even through the camera, he wasn’t afraid of him anymore.
This jerk looked like he was about going to jump off a cliff. Redhead almost heard his heavy breathing despite the noise from the street.
“Forgive me for that kiss I stole from you. It wasn’t right, and If I could turn back time I would have never done it like that, Guan Shan”.