Chapter Text
Shi Guang was trying frantically to push his shirt into his pants and not quite succeeding.
"You gave him a key?" came a hiss from his right where Yu Liang was currently trying to tame his dishelved hair in front of the small mirror on Shi Guang's desk.
"Yes. We talked about this. Emergencies and stuff?"
"But you didn't tell me that you already gave him one - argh!"
"Ah, there it is!"
Shi Guang grabbed the shoe Yu Liang had just stumbled over when he took a step back from the desk to check his handiwork and put it on.
"You okay?"
"Yes, yes. Just." Yu Liang made some frantic hand gestures that somehow managed to sum up their current situation without even saying a word. Or maybe it's just that Shi Guang had the same thoughts in his head and was projecting.
He took a deep breath, reached out and smoothed down the frown on Yu Liang's forehead in a by now familiar gesture.
"I'll talk to him about it. Just think about it this way: It could be worse."
Yu Liang's eyes widened almost comically.
"How could it be worse?"
Shi Guang grinned and was about to say something that would make the other blush when there was the sound of a key being turned and not one second later, Hong He's voice rang out: "I brought breakfast!"
They'd still been half asleep when Shi Guang had gotten a text message from Hong He. Safe in their cocoon of blankets, Yu Liang's head on his chest, Shi Guang stroking his hair, neither had reacted at first when Shi Guang's phone had vibrated, too comfortable to move. If anything important had happened, people would have called and so they had stayed like this for a few precious minutes more till Yu Liang had lazily grabbed behind himself to grab Shi Guang's phone from the nightstand and dropped it on the other's stomach.
Get up you lazy people! The Amazing Hong He is on his way to you! Be there in 15! :D
After that everything had been a bit of a blur. Clothes were changed, hair was combed, and pillows and blankets were stuffed under the bed in record time.
Shi Guang took a last look around to see if they hadn't missed anything in their hurry and saw Yu Liang next to him doing the same.
"Good morning!"
Hong He's grinning face appeared in the doorway of Shi Guang's bedroom. Shi Guang couldn't help it and grinned back. His friend's father had been steadily getting better and seeing Hong He smile again was just such a relief, even though Shi Guang's heart was still beating fast after the last frantic ten minutes.
"Sorry to just barge in, but I brought breakfast!"
Still smiling and now proudly carrying a big bag, presumably full of food, in front of him, his friend entered the room. Shi Guang really needed to talk to him about that, yet seeing Hong He in their old apartment, filled him with a strange sense of nostalgia every time.
"Good morning."
Yu Liang's voice was cool and smooth. A polite greeting, but not an unfriendly one. There was still a strand of hair sticking out in a weird angle from his head and Shi Guang's hands twitched with the desire to smooth it down like he might have done if they were alone right now. From his face, someone who didn't know him well, would never see how tense he was now. A far cry from the warm and pliable weight that had rested against Shi Guang's side just a few minutes ago.
He saw Yu Liang following Hong He, walking towards Chu Ying's weiqi board on the other side of the room, with his eyes. There was a slight twitch to his mouth - another sign that betrayed his outer calm to Shi Guang. Nervous. Not angry. At this point, Yu Liang was almost as used to Hong He's spontaneous nature as Shi Guang and just as glad to see the former's bubbly personality return after all those months of him acting rather subdued. Still, he knew that Yu Liang really didn't like his personal space suddenly invaded like that and put a calming hand on his shoulder, murmuring: "It's going to be fine." into his ear. Yu Liang just nodded, still watching their friend.
The sparkle in Hong He's eyes as he was studying their game from last night set something aflutter in Shi Guang's chest. He was always trying to get his friend to play weiqi with him again, without seeming too pushy and just recently Hong He had agreed to a few games. Shi Guang thought he was probably going to cry a little bit the moment his friend actually asked him for a game. He just had to trust that it was going to happen.
"Hey, that move right the-"
The finger that Hong He had just pointed at a move by Yu Liang from near the end of the game - that even Shi Guang had grudgingly admitted had been brilliant last night - had suddenly swung sideways, pointing at a spot right next to the board.
Shi Guang heard Yu Liang's sharp intake of breath just a few seconds before he realized what his own eyes were looking at.
In their haste and from where they had stood, they hadn't seen them before. Pants. Definitely Yu Liang's pants - no one would ever believe Shi Guang would be caught dead in a pair like this, even though he secretly appreciated them on his rival. Definitely taken off right there. Legs inside out.
The silence stretched to what must have been only seconds, but felt like minutes. Shi Guang felt Yu Liang shift a bit closer to him. They probably looked like one of those scenes from a murder mystery, where someone had just found a body.
He was just about to open his mouth to say something - anything- when Yu Liang cleared his throat next to him.
"Strip weiqi."
"What?"
The confusion on Hong He's face must have mirrored his own and Shi Guang immediately closed his gaping mouth lest his friend cottoned on to Shi Guang being just as surprised as him.
"Strip weiqi. Shixiong said it was just something silly and fun to help us relax. To be honest, I'm not convinced."
Yu Liang crossed his arms in front of his chest, his face full of earnest doubt at his Shixiong's idea.
Suddenly a big grin split Hong He's face, mirth in his eyes.
"Seriously? That's kind of awesome. Fang Xu has the best ideas! Dude, invite me next time!"
Hong He playfully punched Shi Guang's shoulder.
"Err."
Shi Guang still wasn't able to find words, too busy not looking like this hadn't taken him by surprise, but he managed to make a gesture with his hand, that simultaneously said: "Done." and "We'll call you if we ever have the desire to play strip weiqi with you." which officially made this the weirdest morning in a very long time.
Hong He beamed.
"Awesome. Anyways. Got a bit distracted there. I've got some really big news about my dad. Come on, time for breakfast!"
Hong He left the room as quickly as he had appeared. It couldn't have been more than five minutes and yet Shi Guang felt winded as if he'd just played a really challenging game of weiqi. Speaking of...
Shi Guang leaned over to Yu Liang to hiss into his ear.
"Seriously? Strip weiqi? That was the best thing you could come up with?"
"What? It worked, didn't it?" Yu Liang shrugged. There was a slightly confused frown around his mouth now, as if he was a bit surprised it had worked himself.
"Only because you have such an earnest face."
That earned him a small jab in the side with an elbow.
"Look at it like this: You were right earlier. It could have been worse."
"How?"
"You could have given the key to Shen Yilang."