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Whether he chose to admit it or not, Zhang Zhehan knew for a fact that Gong Jun was a jealous brat.
No matter how the younger man tried to spin it as something else; that he was, "Just looking out for you Da-Ge," as he pushed someone away who was speaking too closely to Zhehan's ears, Zhehan could see right through it.
The fact that Gong Jun thinks he's being subtle whenever he abruptly drags Zhehan away if he smiles or laughs at someone who isn't Gong Jun, giving the flimsiest of excuses like, "Sorry Da-Ge, could you help me with this scene? You seem like you have some free time..." is laughable.
Or even more ridiculously, the absolutely lethal glare he seems to give to whomever makes the mistake of touching Zhehan too familiarly. This could range from a simple pat on the shoulder to even a friendly hug.
He admits that the glares and jealous behavior took a little bit of time to notice because it was never directed at Zhehan himself, just to the poor unfortunate souls that dared wander into Zhehan's personal space. He had of course noticed over time that people seemed to give him a wide berth whenever Gong Jun was in the vicinity, but he initially chalked it up to them giving the two men their space to work on their chemistry as a CP and also to not get pulled into their joking, bickering antics.
That had changed when one day Zhehan, in a fit of uncontrollable laughter at something Huang Youming said, pulled the other man into a cajoling one armed hug over his shoulders to share in the joke.
With tears of laughter leaking out he glanced up, ready to wipe his eyes and let go of Huang Youming, and quickly froze at the sight of Gong Jun standing there looking unnaturally still. It felt as though the temperature had dropped with how coldly he was glaring at Huang Youming, his usual smile nowhere to be seen and his hand clenching his script so hard he could see them tremble and turn white.
Zhehan slowly removed his arm and watched in fascination as Gong Jun tracked the movement until his arm was safely back at his side. Only then did Gong Jun seem to snap out of it and those puppy eyes returned in full force as he turned to make and hold eye contact with Zhenhan as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
The change in expression and demeanor was so sudden that he didn't even put up a fight when Gong Jun bulldozed his way between the two of them, wrapping his arm around Zhehan and leading him away saying, "Aiya... What are you doing standing around in the sun like that? C'mon, let's get some water and sit in the shade for a bit. You can tell me what was so funny that you'd risk heat exposure." As if Zhehan didn't notice his tone become tight and pointed. As if he truly thought Zhehan hadn't noticed him embody Wen Kexing in a way that frankly felt a bit too real to ignore.
From then on, it became more obvious. If Gong Jun didn't have Zhehan's undivided attention, he got sulky and weirdly clingy. Not in a way that was particularly noticeable but Zhehan had always prided himself on being observant. When he was casually teasing Gong Jun about the fact that Huang Youming always provided fresh fruit everyday, Zhehan could see in his eyes that he saw it as some sort of challenge.
This was proven to be true by the sudden increase in meals and snacks Gong Jun brought to him, and the way Huang Youming's fruit offerings, which they both usually enjoyed without a problem, were suddenly shunned as not good enough.
If he saw Zhehan reaching for a piece of cantaloupe, suddenly Gong Jun would be there to slap his hand away saying "Da-ge, don't eat that. It's been sitting out here for a while and who knows what kind of bugs could have landed on it." while leading him away from the table.
"Come, I have a container of fresh fruit sliced and ready to eat in my mini-fridge. There's also peanut butter to dip the apple slices in! Much better for keeping your strength up than some luke-warm, dirty cantaloupe that could upset your stomach..."
Like he said, a jealous brat.
Luckily for Gong Jun, Zhehan found it ridiculously amusing and it tended to spark his desire to tease him even more, knowing that Gong Jun would never direct that anger towards him. Yeah, they argued and bickered like an old married couple, but it was never anything that resembled the true anger he saw, bubbling like molten lava, in Gong Jun's glare. Sure, some might see this possessiveness as a red flag, especially since they weren't even a real couple, but Zhehan knew better.
It was the distinction between being possessive and being controlling.
Yes, Gong Jun made it clear with his actions that he wanted to be the only one to dote on Zhehan and treated it like a competition he needed to win, but he never tried to control him or push at his boundaries. It felt almost gentle the way his jealousy manifested as him trying to redirect Zhehan's attention back to him, trying to prove himself to be the better option for company.
He suddenly had the crazy thought that this behavior felt like he was being courted, which was objectively insane, and he blamed it on the fact that he was filming a romantic period drama in dizzying heat. Zhehan wasn't prone to romantic notions like being courted. If anything, he usually had to put himself in the mindset of doing the courting himself in order to make his past roles as romantic leads more believable.
Shaking the thought aside, he recalls the first time he made the distinction between being possessive and being controlling with regards to Jun's behavior. It wasn't something he planned to test exactly, but at the time, it felt like it needed to happen in order for him to get a handle on how to deal with Gong Jun's confusing behavior.
On a day like any other, Zhehan found himself speaking with the actor that played Han Ying in the drama. They were discussing music of all things after Han Ying heard him singing and complimented his voice. Naturally, Zhehan puffed up a little. He was always happy when people appreciated his singing since he put so much effort into his vocal training. He spent a lot of time working on his craft and always put his heart into it so it was easy for him to warm up to the other man.
The conversation eventually led to Zhehan's original music with Han Ying asking about the lyrics and Zhehan helping to pull up some of his songs on Han Ying's phone to show him. As he moved closer so that they could both see the screen, he could see from the corner of his eyes Gong Jun hovering in the area, discontent practically radiating off of him in waves as he impatiently waited for hair and makeup to finish fussing so that he could come over and investigate.
He nearly rolled his eyes before going back to scrolling through the song list, aware of Han Ying gently placing an earbud in one of his ears so that they could both listen to the song he was queuing up.
This time, when he felt Gong Jun's hand wrap around his forearm, clearly intending to break the two of them up from huddling around the phone, Zhehan cut a sharp glance up at Gong Jun's troubled face and simply said,
"Simon." With a tone of voice that booked no argument.
Gong Jun looked like if Zhehan had slapped him in the face, it would have hurt less.
Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't Gong Jun's face suddenly crumbling before him, hands immediately retreating as though they had been burned. He looked so confused and contrite that Zhehan suddenly felt wrong footed.
What the hell?
He shifted a bit, wondering why he now felt the need to comfort him. It's not like he was doing anything wrong. It's not like he owed the other man an explanation. Zhehan never had a problem setting boundaries with people, especially people he worked with. It was a part of being a mature adult in an industry that did everything in its power to warp people into something else. He was firm but still charming enough that most people still liked him even after witnessing the steel in his gaze that put a stop to further prying. He was clever enough with his words that most just felt a little chastised for pushing, and he was intimidating enough that most usually backed down from fighting with him.
But that was usually reserved for people that couldn't take a hint, or took liberties. Seeing that shuttered expression on Jun's face made him feel like he kicked a puppy that was simply nipping at his heels in an attempt to play with him instead of putting an overly possessive man in his place like he had thought he was doing. Zhehan wasn't sure if it was his tone of voice and the look in his eyes that did it, or the fact that he used it while saying Gong Jun's English name for the first time since meeting him, but he silently resolved to never use that name unless he was well and truly angry with him.
He remembers the sudden moment of clarity he had. That maybe he misjudged the younger man's actions as something it wasn't. He cleared his throat and stood up, distantly aware of Han Ying redirecting his gaze back to his phone and pretending not to notice whatever drama was unfolding in front of him. He had to remind himself to send Han Ying a free copy of his latest album for at least attempting to save him some face.
As Zhehan looked at Gong Jun's stricken expression, he had to wonder how such a tall, imposing looking man could look so fragile and unsure. Without thinking, Zhehan reaches up and flicks his forehead, causing the man's face to change into one of surprised confusion.
That was a much better look for him to have, Zhehan decided with a grin, and proceeded to pinch his cheeks until that look of confusion changed into that one indignant expression he wore whenever Zhehan and he bickered about one thing or another.
"Eh? What's this face for? Are you upset my singing was praised? Why don't you try singing a song and show me how it's done?" he teased as Gong Jun batted his hands away, cheeks lit up with two uneven spots of red where he'd been pinched.
Jun Jun in that moment looked so wronged, it made Zhehan's eyes crinkle in glee at the silliness of it all. He didn't understand why he felt so bubbly all of a sudden but he knew it had something to do with being able to get that sad look off Gong Jun's face.
"Da-Ge!"
Hearing that familiar whine broke whatever resolve he was holding onto as he dissolved into giggles and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
"Ah, Jun Jun..." he said without thinking, noticing the way the other man's eyes widened and his lips pulled into a pleased smile at the new term of endearment. "Come with me for a minute. I want to show you the new Jay Chou album I got. Let's see if you can give him a run for his money, eh?"
Jun Jun gave him a suspicious look but then let out a loud, "Hmph!" as he adopted that haughty smirk of his that meant he thought he was at an advantage.
"Is your head in the clouds? We have a scene to finish shooting and I was just coming over to get you to run some lines with me before we start up again. So irresponsible."
Which was a blatant lie, but Zhehan didn't feel the need to call him out on it. Running lines may have been the excuse he planned in order to get Zhehan away from Han Ying, but his approach was clearly motivated by that odd possessiveness Jun Jun carried with him. Now that he understood what was going on, he was surprised to find how delighted he felt at the display. He never had someone so stubbornly try to take care of him to the point of feeling threatened if another got too close.
Still holding onto Jun Jun's shoulders, he rocked the two of them from side to side in a playful manner and put a little whine in his voice that made him feel a bit coquettish.
"C'mon Jun Jun, just one song? I haven't heard you sing all day and I've been looking forward to it. Why don't you treat me better? Your husband is suffering."
That wasn't a lie. Somewhere along the line, Zhehan developed an affinity for Jun's slightly tone-deaf singing to the point that he really felt a little bummed out if he didn't hear it.
He could see Gong Jun's resolve vanish as he pretended to think about it for a few seconds before allowing himself a princely nod that turned into him giggling at his own antics. Zhehan's heart felt a bit full at the sight and he couldn't help but squeeze Jun Jun a little closer.
"Fine," the other man said, flipping his long hair over his shoulder and out of the way. "But only if you agree to eat some of the mandarin salad I prepared. Don't think I didn't notice you trying to skip lunch again Da-Ge. There's a right way to lose weight and you know it."
He gave Zhehan a side-eye, as if daring him to try to deny it. It made him feel kind of light, knowing that Jun Jun was so attuned to him and was willing to bully him into taking care of himself by not hesitating to call him out. It was the kind of tough but gentle love he missed when he thought of his mother back home, always making sure to provide for him and scold him when he got too stubborn.
It made him think of how there were fewer and fewer people in his life that had the audacity to fight back with him and having it come from a place of love instead of the more negative emotions these arguments usually stemmed from. It was something he secretly craved if he was being honest with himself and it was dawning on him that he could include Gong Jun on that short list of people that he'd allow to reprimand him.
Gong Jun was the kind of person that was a little tough to figure out at first because of his introverted nature and confusing actions, but the more he opened up around Zhehan, the more he could see that at his very core, Gong Jun's actions were motivated by a sincere desire to take care of those close to him. It was refreshing, like a breath of clean air.
And so, with a grin, Zhehan looked up at him.
"Deal."
That time, Zhehan was the one to lead him away.