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Xingqiu did not get jealous, but he couldn’t help but feel a muddy feeling well up in his stomach as one of the schoolboys was flirting with his best friend, Chongyun. How could Chongyun not see he was flirting with him? The way he commented on Chongyun and told him he was pretty made him want to chase him far far away. “Xingqiu! Earth to book geek!” Xingqiu looked up to see Xiangling holding up a flier to The Test of Courage! a fun activity supposedly for him and Chongyun. “Xiangling you're not saying….” Xingqiu, you've been staring at the wall for the past hour after Chongyun left and you say you're not in love~”she teased. “So what about you and Hu Tao? “Xiangling turned bright red and proceeded to run back into the “kitchen that needs to be cooked." Xingqiu could only roll his eyes and calmly gaze at Chongyun fondly wondering about her suggestion.
Xingqiu did not like how greedy he felt. He had a hard day of working under his brother, page after page after page of paperwork and documents that needed to be filled or filed. All he wanted was to read the latest book and forget everything. It almost made him cry when Chongyun came to visit with a popsicle and brand-new book just for him, and the way he sat down and calmly listened to him talk it out made him feel safe and secure. It was the best he felt in days; it was too bad the muddy feeling did not go away.
Xingqiu did not give up. He was just plotting his next move, nothing personal. He just had a lot on his plate. His friends could understand that, right? Was he not good enough; why did he get yelled at for something he did do right? After skipping almost 3 meals with his dear friends and ignoring Chongyun’s texts and calls, he believed that they forgot about him already. That is until Xu announced Chongyun was at the door.
Chongyun did not get mad, He couldn’t anyway, not with Xingqiu looking tired and like he was about to collapse at any minute. Why didn’t he tell him? Was it that bad that he could not even consult this best friend? He watched Xingqiu give another poor excuse for why he couldn't come to their weekly dinner ,and Chongyun was about to lose it. “Talk to him! Or are you scared~” Hu Tao crowed. “No….” Chongyun sighed. “I....I just want to be a good friend to him first.” Hu Tao pouted, crossing her arms across her chest. “Ask him then; you guys are friends ,so shouldn't that mean you can talk to each other?” Hu Tao asked once more, “When are you going to tell him?”
Chongyun did not get needy, but that all flew out the window when he was with Xingqiu. The way he talked to him with so much meaning and kindness made his heart felt like it was going to burst. He had always been shunned for his so-called exorcisms of ghosts and spirits that he had never seen. He wanted to talk to Xingqiu, to tell him what he told him when he was tired, but he couldn’t. Xingqiu always seems to find a way to avoid him and the rest of his friends ,for that matter. The last straw for Chongyun was when he asked the librarian when the last time Xingqiu came to read and relax was. Her answer was, “Over 2 weeks ago.”
Chongyun did not lose hope. He would tell Xingqiu to take a break even if it got him kicked out of his best friend’s property for good. His dear friend’s health came first. Xingqiu was always there for him so he would do the same for him. As he prepared the Xingqiu favorite dish himself and even borrowed a brand-new book that he had been waiting for, he mustered his courage and knocked on Xingqiu’s door.
Xingqiu asked Xu to bring Chongyun to his room. He wasn't sure why Chongyun was here after so many ditched meetings and dinners. Why would he still come? It was the feeling of Xingqiu tightly hugging him that made him know that he did it right. It was in the evening where the sun was changing to a golden hue . The calming aura was contagious seeing that it was enough to seemingly Chongyun to take a nap on him. His fluffy light blue hair was like a soft bed of clouds next to him and the light breathing pattern was enough to lure him into a trance. Before he knew it he was nodding off with his dearest friend and crush. ‘One day,’ Xingqiu thought, ‘one day ,but for now this was enough.’