Archive of Our Own

5: 00 A.M.

The obnoxious beeping of the alarm clock disturbs Jingyi from his peaceful slumber. He groans and rolls around to the side, burying his face into the soft fabric of a shirt that is emanating the warmth of the skin behind it. Jingyi feels the mattress underneath him move, and the alarm clock stops its painful blare with a soft click.

It’s five in the morning, he knows this without having to look at the clock at all because soon Sizhui will call out to him softly. “Jingyi.” The soft voice, warm as the sun that is yet to rise into the sky at this hour makes him peek up behind his eyelashes, albeit drowsily. “Hm?”

Sizhui doesn’t say anything and pulls him closer instead, kissing his forehead and Jingyi feels warmth bloom in his chest.

It was a daily routine for them ever since they started to share an apartment for college; Sizhui proposes they get up at 5 AM, the schedule he was used to back at his home, and then get an early productive start on the day. Yet this schedule always ended up with Sizhui waking up at five only to turn off the alarm and cave into Jingyi’s need for morning cuddles.

“We’ll get up early the next day.” Sizhui mumbles, a reminder way too familiar to both of them, one that they both know won’t make it to actually happening. It’s comfortable like this, entangled in each other’s arms; the gentle brush of lips together in sleepy haziness, nuzzling of cheeks and whispers of their plans for the day between the soft kisses.

It doesn't take long for Sizhui to follow suit as Jingyi falls back asleep, their hearts beating in a matched rhythm while their slumbering faces hold content smiles.

8: 27 A.M.

Jingyi wakes up three hours later to an empty space beside him on their bed. Raising an arm, he presses his palm against the now cold surface of where Sizhui was lying earlier. He sighs, rolling over to press his face against a pillow, and groans loud enough to be heard in the next room.

”A-Yuaaaaaan…”

His head flops back down on the soft pillow that held Sizhui’s scent, wanting to steal a few more winks of sleep when he hears the bedroom door creak open and soft tapping on the doorway. “Breakfast is ready, A-Yi.”

Jingyi turns his head to look at Sizhui; all freshened up with a clean face and a change of clothes from last night’s pajamas, the slight tousle of his hair tied up into a bun and the cup of coffee in his hand making him look like the epitome of a graceful individual who has their life together - which is unfair, Jingyi thinks, because if he were the one to have his hair in a mess while he downed coffee in the morning he’d look like a wreck.

He doesn’t raise himself to sit up on the bed yet, and instead outstretches an arm to close and open his palm as if beckoning Sizhui to come closer. After setting down his coffee, Sizhui does walk closer to their shared bed and Jingyi practically worms to the side about to fall off, wrapping his arms around Sizhui’s middle.

The fond chuckle that comes from Sizhui reverberates through his abdomen, as Jingyi can feel it against his cheek. “Sit properly, Jingyi.” He says, but doesn’t wait for Jingyi when he slightly bends to pull him up, and a chaste kiss is exchanged between them the moment their faces are level with each other.

When Sizhui pulls away, he gently pats Jingyi’s cheek, trying to rouse him out of his sleepiness. “Wash up and let’s eat, okay?” Jingyi happily nods, kissing the underside of Sizhui’s palm. He doesn’t know if he still has the stomach for breakfast when he feels so full.

3:45 P.M.

A pack of frozen chicken nuggets is not gracefully thrown into the grocery basket next to some carefully chosen potatoes and carrots.

“Jingyi.”

Sizhui picks up the moist plastic pack, nudging it against Jingyi’s arm and the pack’s cold temperature makes him flinch backward. “What! It’s just some nuggets....” He airs his complaint, but Jingyi returns it to its place anyway, walking by Sizhui’s side pouting like a dejected child while his mother (Sizhui, in this situation) simply ignores him to go look through the vegetables section of the supermarket.

Their classes for the day had finished an hour ago, and instead of hurrying home, Sizhui voiced out that they needed to do some groceries - stop eating ordered food and such, so they will be cooking their own meals when they aren’t bombarded with college work.

“It’s not healthy to always eat those fried chicken from fast food places, A-Yi.” Sizhui had gently reminded during the morning earlier as he looked through the fridge, sighing when he found some weeks old pizza from the last time their friends came over.

But it’s not like nuggets from the supermarket are bad! Jingyi thinks to himself, absentmindedly nodding along to Sizhui’s comment on a funny-looking radish. Those nuggets were perfectly preserved in frozen temperatures and they only needed heating for like - a few minutes at best, right? Bam! His meal is ready in an instant without the need for cooking. Lan Jingyi is a busy person, he has homework to attend to and projects to work on to ensure his future - he has no time for cooking-

A tug on his sleeve breaks Jingyi’s nugget-filled thoughts, and he snaps back to reality to see Sizhui holding up a container of boneless chicken. “Will this be enough?”

“...?”

Sizhui rolls his eyes with a small smile on his face, laughing softly. “Were you listening?” He pokes Jingyi’s cheek, the skin warm underneath Sizhui’s fingertip. The other sighs before placing the pack of chicken into the basket with their other grocery items, then placing a hand on Jingyi’s arm. “Were you upset I didn’t let you have the nuggets? You were pouting the whole time.” Sizhui chuckles, and Jingyi only responds with a cross of his arms, huffing. “You know I like chicken nuggets.”

“That’s why I’ll make you some, dummy.” Slender fingers lace through Jingyi’s own, and he’s pulled across the supermarket as they head to the counter. “I don’t want us to keep on eating ordered and preserved food, so we might as well make something tasty while we still don’t have exams to worry about, yes?” Sizhui squeezes his hand, and Jingyi returns the gesture as he catches up.

“I’ll help you cook, Sizhui.” Jingyi grins, leaning over to nuzzle the other male’s cheek. Now that his sour dejected mood had lifted off, Jingyi’s thoughts were filled with plans of what to cook for Sizhui. Maybe mashed potatoes? Some sauteed carrots? He thinks back to the last time he had visited his boyfriend’s parents, and makes a mental note to maybe make something slightly spicy.

The air from the supermarket’s air conditioning is cold, but their interlocked hands and Jingyi’s cheeks are warm enough to wave off the cool air.

8:33 P.M.

“--Oh my god, they’re gonna get him-!!”

With a loud yelp, Jingyi burrows his face into the crook of Sizhui’s neck, pulling the blanket over them even tighter as he covers his eyes. The screams from the horror movie echo on in the darkness of their apartment’s living room, but they lower their volume when he feels Sizhui slightly move to pick up the remote.

“What are you hiding for, you picked this movie, A-Yi.” Sizhui teases, rubbing the side of Jingyi’s shoulders to nudge him out from hiding.

Stacks and folders with paper containing their homework were long ignored on the coffee table, ”Aiyah..let’s go watch a movie, A-Yuaaan..we’re done anyway, stop reviewing!”, Jingyi had whined, pulling a folder from Sizhui’s hands and tossing it on the table before crawling over to sit on his lap.

He had the balls to choose a horror movie - ”I won’t get scared this time! - he did - ”Bet. Let’s even turn off the lights!” - Jingyi regrets it now as he confides in Sizhui’s arms, the safest place to be in and away from anything scary.

He doesn’t pull away from Sizhui and hugs him closer instead, not wanting to let go. Thankfully, Sizhui isn’t planning on letting go or pushing him away either, and takes the initiative to stop the movie and switch to a channel that was currently airing some commercials.

Jingyi thinks to himself, mind still freshly replaying the gore scenes of the movie, that he might as well just stay in this position forever and never let go of Sizhui! Yes, a solid plan indeed. Sizhui was not only not easily scared - but if he were to be face to face with any monster or killer, surely Sizhui could make them reconsider with how amazing he was!

There’s another gentle nudge on his shoulder, and Jingyi peeks up from his blanket shield to look at Sizhui with an inquiring look. “It’s nine. Let’s get to bed, Jingyi.”

It was as if the horror movie never happened at all!

After changing into fresh clothes for the night, Jingyi rolls around on their bed happily humming to a Twice song - phone in his hands as he scrolls between reading a novel and texting their friends’ group chat.

Something something about Zizhen being roped into another ridiculous situation because of his girlfriend’s delinquent brother, then Jin Ling’s situation in America with his parents when they went there for a trip.

“This rich little mistress living like it’s the holidays while the rest of us rot in homework, huh..” He yawns, eyes barely open as he rubs at them to keep himself awake for conversation, the novel he was reading long forgotten as they bicker and tease each other.

When Jin Ling just mentioned how it was nine in the evening in China and it should be Jingyi and Sizhui’s bedtime, the latter finished his shower and stepped into their shared bedroom. “Are you talking to Zizhen and Jin Ling?” He asks, and Jingyi scootches to the side of their bed when Sizhui sits beside him. “Yeah. Zizhen and A-Qing had their date ruined by her older brother, and Jin Ling’s been ranting about how terrible America is.” He laughs at the thought of their friends’ dilemmas, slightly worried for them - and yet he couldn’t help but gloat that at least he was here in peace with Sizhui.

After a few more yawns from Jingyi, Sizhui decided that it really was time for bed, just holding out so that they wouldn’t be able to miss out on the nightly conversations with their friends to ask how they were all doing.

With their phones charging next to each other on the table right by their bed, Sizhui turns to switch off the lights, letting the moonlight accompany them in the dark of the room. Jingyi raises the blanket with one arm, smiling at his boyfriend when he slides into bed with him.

“A-Yuan, you’re so warm.” He blurts out all of a sudden, his earlier sleepiness seemingly to have left as he snuggles against Sizhui’s side, hugging his arm. “You’re like the sun! So warm..so bright and beautiful,” Jingyi snorts when he looks up to see the faint blush spreading across Sizhui’s face, how cute!

“You don’t hurt my eyes to look at though, I could stare at you forever!”

“Mmhm,” Sizhui laughs, still flustered. “That’s enough staring A-Yi, let’s go get some sleep.”

The bedroom is dark with a cool atmosphere, the pair huddled together with their limbs entangled in an embrace underneath the sheets. It is night time, proven by the moon keeping them company above; but when Jingyi feels a pair of warm lips press against his forehead, he thinks the sun may have risen already.