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Sun Zheping pulled open the curtains, letting the sunlight stream into the hotel room. It was late afternoon, their team had arrived close to noontime. Shadows were cast onto the ground, dappling the wooden floor.
Outside, clouds drifted lazily, dotting the blue sky with pure white. Cars raced down the streets and people walked leisurely, chatting with one another. City B was always so lively.
The hotel room was fairly standard, with two twin-sized beds, a bathroom, and a table with two chairs where they could eat or sit to work at. Sun Zheping heard the hotel door close, and something being tossed onto one of the beds. “Ah, it feels good to take a break,” the other person said.
“Did you not sleep last night?” Sun Zheping turned around, amusement written on his features.
“I did!” His roommate, Zhang Jiale pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. “But being here is different from being at home.”
“How so?”
“Well, I’m not used to this room, obviously,” Zhang Jiale walked over to where his bag was thrown on the sheets, unzipping it and searching for something. “Also, I’m sharing a room with you. Not that it’s bad, but that’s definitely different.”
Sun Zheping hummed, walking over to see what his partner was looking for. “Did you forget to bring something?”
Zhang Jiale flinched in surprise at the proximity of Sun Zheping’s voice, his hands freezing in place before he continued to shift things around. “Nah, I’m looking for snacks. I’m kind of hungry.”
“Oh? What did you bring?”
“Mm, white rabbit candy, QQ candy, pocky…”
“You really love sweet stuff, don’t you?” Sun Zheping teased, smiling as Zhang Jiale fished out a few boxes of the foods he had listed.
“Is that a problem?” The vice captain turned to see his captain’s amused expression.
“No, it’s not,” Sun Zheping shrugged. It’s rather cute…
Zhang Jiale sighed as he ripped open a pack of QQ candy, putting one in his mouth and offering another one to Sun Zheping. “Who are we playing tomorrow again?”
“Tiny Herb.”
“Hmm,” Zhang Jiale popped another candy into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. “They’re not an easy team this season.”
“We shouldn’t underestimate any team,” Sun Zheping agreed, walking to his own luggage, unzipping it, and pulling out his laptop. “Tiny Herb’s rookie isn’t any worse than we are.”
“He’s going to be troublesome,” Zhang Jiale sighed, leaning back onto the sheets and staring at the ceiling. “Well, at least we have a day before we have to fight them.”
“Half a day.”
“Close enough.”
Sun Zheping tapped a few keys, searching for something as he sat down on his bed, the mattress dipping under his weight. Zhang Jiale quickly finished off his candies and reached for another package, mindlessly opening it and sticking one of them into his mouth.
The sound of familiar skills clashing filled the room, and Zhang Jiale sat up. He quickly bunched his hair in his hand, tying it swiftly with the hairband that was on his wrist. “What are you watching?” He asked as he picked up the box he was eating from, bringing it over to the other side of the room.
“One of Tiny Herb’s most recent matches.”
“Hm?” Zhang Jiale sat down next to his captain, looking at the screen curiously. His hair was in a loose ponytail, spilling over his shoulder. “His playstyle is interesting. He predicts your moves and acts accordingly… that’s a little scary.”
Sun Zheping nodded, spotting the snack that Zhang Jiale was eating. “Pocky?” He recognized the biscuit, but couldn’t identify the flavor from the pink chocolate coating. It looked like strawberry, but the color was slightly lighter.
“Yeah, sakura flavor!” Zhang Jiale laughed. “I bought it because it reminded me of Hundred Blossoms. Do you want to try one?”
“Sure,” He mindlessly accepted the snack as Zhang Jiale stuck it in his mouth. It was sweet, with a hint of floral taste. He held it in his mouth as he watched the match play out on his laptop screen.
Suddenly, Zhang Jiale leaned in, and Sun Zheping froze in place. There was a snapping sound and the moment was gone, the vice captain sitting back down with a smirk on his face. “Hey,” Sun Zheping complained. “Don’t you have more of your own? Why did you have to steal mine?”
“Have you never heard of the pocky game?” Zhang Jiale quickly ate the rest of the biscuit, using the back of his hand to brush the crumbs off his lips.
“I have.”
“Then let’s play!” Zhang Jiale fished out another stick, waving it excitedly.
“You’re going to ignore the fact we have a match tomorrow and that we should be studying their playstyle right now?” Sun Zheping raised an eyebrow amusedly.
“We can watch later,” Zhang Jiale said decisively, putting the Pocky into his mouth and waving it in front of his face. “We have a lot of time after dinner.”
Seeing his vice captain ask so nicely and the fact that he was already weak to his demands, Sun Zheping had a hard time saying no. He sighed, turning to face Zhang Jiale, who was waiting for him expectantly.
He leaned forward slightly, catching the biscuit between his teeth. Sun Zheping noticed that Zhang Jiale had squeezed his eyes shut, the distance between them closing little by little. A soft blush dusted over the vice captain’s cheeks, and Sun Zheping wished that he could take a picture, so that he could remember that look forever.
The moment was shattered when the Pocky stick broke and Zhang Jiale opened his eyes in surprise. “Oh, it broke.” The disappointment was evident in his voice.
Sun Zheping let out a breath of amusement, using his hand to tilt Zhang Jiale’s chin up slightly. Their eyes met for a second before Sun Zheping closed the distance between them, Zhang Jiale letting out a noise of surprise. Sweet… Sun Zheping thought to himself.
It was only a brief kiss and the two of them pulled away after a second. “Is this what you wanted?” Sun Zheping teased him lightly.
“Maybe…” Zhang Jiale pouted.
“You know, there are easier ways to ask.”
Zhang Jiale shuffled a little closer, leaning against Sun Zheping’s shoulder. “But this way, I get to eat snacks and kiss you,” he laughed. “It’s a win-win situation.”
Sun Zheping turned his head to look at Zhang Jiale, brushing a stray strand of hair out of his partner’s face. “Next time, just ask. You know I won’t say no.”
“Mm,” the vice captain hummed. “In that case, kiss me?”
Sun Zheping smiled, leaning over. “Of course.”