Work Text:
It’s easy to go unseen around campus.
Yin Yu has never enjoyed standing out. He likes to be recognised for his hard work, yes. But, given the choice between being acknowledged and remaining in the shadows, he thinks he’ll always prefer the latter. Things are safer that way. People demand less of him, and have fewer preconceptions. He can be himself entirely without worrying that anyone will judge him, because nobody takes much notice of him in the first place.
With his mask concealing the lower half of his face and the hood of his jacket pulled over his head, he blends into the crowd of people leaving the lecture theatre. He’s dragged along by their current until—
“Yin Yu!”
He startles at the voice, and a few passersby finally take notice of him as he flinches. They stare at him curiously for a few seconds before continuing on their way again.
A hand wraps around Yin Yu’s wrist, and he’s tugged gently from the crowd to stand on a patch of dirt beside the footpath. Here, he’s greeted by Xie Lian’s smiling face and surprised laughter.
“Did you just leave a lecture? I could’ve sworn you don’t usually have one at this time,” he says.
It shouldn’t be surprising that Xie Lian notices his change in schedule—while everyone else simply passes Yin Yu by, Xie Lian has always seen him. Understood him. He takes note of the small details when nobody else even knows that they’re there.
“I switched one of my classes this week,” Yin Yu explains, to which Xie Lian hums in understanding.
“Well, it’s good that you’re here. Are you free now?”
Yin Yu nods, which makes Xie Lian grin.
“Great! Let’s go get lunch, I have something to tell you.”
There’s no use in refusing, although Yin Yu doesn’t even consider doing so, anyway. Xie Lian makes for pleasant company, and Yin Yu genuinely enjoys spending time with him. Besides, he can be very convincing. He makes the act of eating lunch in public seem like something that’s almost exciting, when it has only ever been daunting to Yin Yu.
They walk together to the café they both like, situated between the botany building and the library. It’s crammed full of students and teachers alike when they arrive, but Xie Lian manages to squeeze his way through the crowd to find a table for them both. Yin Yu places their orders at the counter, experienced enough by now that he knows what Xie Lian wants without even needing to ask. He pays, then slowly nudges his way through the crowd until he reaches his friend again.
“So, what did you want to tell me?” he asks as soon as he sits down.
Xie Lian brightens, sitting taller in his seat.
“Oh! I have a new roommate!”
Yin Yu raises a brow and hums. “Are they nice? What are they like?”
Xie Lian’s previous roommate moved out a few months ago; Yin Yu remembers arriving at Xie Lian’s dorm room for their weekly movie night only to find half of the room empty and the second bed bare. His friend hadn’t seemed too bothered by it, but Yin Yu knows that Xie Lian doesn’t thrive on solitude as much as he does. They both enjoy it, just to different extents. While Yin Yu would prefer to be alone most of the time, Xie Lian likes spending time with people equally as much as he enjoys spending time by himself. Undoubtedly, the lack of a roommate must have started to bother him after a while. He’s glad that Xie Lian finally has one again, and that he seems genuinely excited about it.
“He’s very nice!” Xie Lian says happily. “He’s a year younger than us, and he’s majoring in Sport Therapy.” He pauses, smile dimming slightly, then mutters under his breath, “Or was it History?”
“Those are two very different things,” Yin Yu points out.
Xie Lian laughs. “Yeah, he’s a confusing guy. He talks about a lot of different stuff, I honestly can’t keep track of it all. But he’s cool! He does kickboxing for fun, and he invited me along to one of his sessions.”
“That sounds interesting.”
“Doesn’t it? Oh, you should come along!”
Yin Yu is saved from having to think of a way to politely decline the offer by the arrival of their food and drinks, which efficiently distracts Xie Lian. He digs into his food while Yin Yu sips at his tea, and the two of them are quiet for a while.
“What about you?” Xie Lian eventually asks between mouthfuls of food. “Has anything new or exciting happened recently? You never tell me much.”
Yin Yu shrugs. “There isn’t much to tell. All my classes are the same. Work still sucks.”
He only works part-time at a convenience store, so it’s easy enough. But it’s also so boring that it’s difficult to enjoy a single thing about the job. At least the pay is good, he supposes.
“Hm. Have you met anyone new?”
He gives Xie Lian an unimpressed look, which makes the other man throw his head back with laughter.
“I just thought I’d ask! You never know!”
Yin Yu doesn’t respond to that. The fact of the matter is that Xie Lian should know. Yin Yu is a very predictable person. He isn’t sure whether that’s something to be proud or ashamed of. It’s just… what he is. He doesn’t enjoy meeting new people and struggling through the cumbersome task of getting to know one another. He doesn’t like being the centre of attention, nor even being known by most people. He doubts much of that will change anytime soon, yet Xie Lian still asks whether he’s putting himself out there.
He doesn’t feel frustrated with Xie Lian for asking. He knows that his friend only has good intentions—he cares. Nonetheless, sometimes, he finds himself wanting to shake Xie Lian by the shoulders to make him realise how absurd he sounds.
They chat a little more while they finish their food, and Xie Lian kindly only inquires about Yin Yu’s classes for the remainder of their lunch. When they’ve long-since finished eating and their plates have been cleared away, Xie Lian glances at the time on his phone and pouts.
“I should really start walking to my next class,” he mumbles. A second later, he smiles again. “Oh, but I’ll see you later for movie night, right?”
Yin Yu nods. “Of course. Ah, but maybe I should come to your place, instead.”
“Oh, why?”
“Just, uh. My roommate mentioned earlier that he’s going to be home tonight.”
“So?” Xie Lian asks, tilting his head to the side.
“I don’t know, I just thought that things might be awkward,” Yin Yu explains. “He’s kind of prickly.”
Xie Lian laughs. “I don’t mind. Besides, we can go out somewhere if things get too uncomfortable.”
“Alright. If you say so.”
Xie Lian nods, and that’s that.
After Yin Yu’s first roommate (and childhood friend) Jian Yu decided to transfer to a university overseas, he found himself hoping that nobody would ever replace him. Living with Jian Yu was easy because they understood each other so well, and Yin Yu knew that nobody would ever be the same. Unfortunately, he was saddled with a new roommate just a few weeks after Jian Yu’s departure.
But Hua Cheng is, all things considered, a fairly good roommate. He cleans up after himself, uses earphones while listening to music late in the evening, makes sure all his belongings remain on his side of the room, and doesn’t ask Yin Yu invasive questions. In fact, he hardly speaks to Yin Yu at all.
Fairly good? Scratch that. Hua Cheng is the perfect roommate. Yin Yu counts himself lucky.
Nonetheless, he wasn’t lying to Xie Lian. Hua Cheng is a prickly bastard. He doesn’t seem to have many friends, and he wears an almost constant glare on his face. It’s as if he thinks everyone else is beneath him and not worthy of his time. Perhaps, it’s some kind of defence mechanism. A way to protect himself from being hurt by others—like Yin Yu’s preference for sticking to the shadows and not being seen. Or maybe he’s just like that. Yin Yu isn’t quite sure, and he’s frankly too afraid to ask.
So, no. Introducing his friend to his roommate doesn’t seem like a good idea for anyone involved. He doubts that Hua Cheng will appreciate the company, and he doesn’t want his sour attitude to ruin Xie Lian’s night. But Xie Lian insisted that everything will be fine, so Yin Yu has little choice but to accept that this is happening.
He intends to warn Hua Cheng about Xie Lian’s arrival in advance, but the other man returns to their room that afternoon looking even more annoyed than usual with his earphones blaring music into his ears. He doesn’t grace Yin Yu with a single look as he plops onto his bed and pulls out a notepad and pen to draw. Yin Yu pretends to be focused on something on his phone while he attempts to work up the courage to talk to Hua Cheng. In the end, he sits there silently like a coward for ten minutes until there’s a knock at the door.
Yin Yu senses Hua Cheng glance up at him inquisitively as he walks towards the door, but he still isn’t brave enough to face him. When he opens the door, Xie Lian beams at him. There’s a thump followed by a sharp inhale behind Yin Yu, but he ignores both sounds in favour of ushering Xie Lian into the room.
“Sorry, I’m a little early,” he says as he unbuttons his coat.
“It’s fine,” Yin Yu says. He takes a deep breath and, deciding that he can no longer delay the inevitable, turns to Hua Cheng.
His roommate has discarded his earphones and notepad, and now stands with his hands shoved into his pockets and a lazy grin on his lips. His single eye shines as he stares down at Xie Lian. Yin Yu instinctively feels like stepping in front of Xie Lian to shield him, but then realises that doing so would mean drawing Hua Cheng’s attention to him instead. He clears his throat and, like the coward he is, stays put.
“A-Lian, meet my roommate, Hua Cheng.” He gestures to the taller man, who nods. It is undoubtedly the politest gesture he has ever seen him perform. “Hua Cheng, this is Xie Lian.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Hua Cheng says.
Xie Lian grins. “Likewise! It’s hard to believe that we haven’t met each other sooner, considering how much time I spend with Yin Yu.”
Hua Cheng hums at that and, for reasons unknown, shoots Yin Yu a glare. He looks away again before Yin Yu can even attempt to guess what he’s done wrong. Hua Cheng’s lips then stretch into a wide smile as his gaze meets Xie Lian’s again, and he nods once before turning away and heading towards the kitchenette.
Yin Yu watches him idly fiddle with something by the sink for a moment, then glances over at Xie Lian. For some reason, he seems a little dazed. Yin Yu clears his throat, which successfully jolts Xie Lian out of his reverie.
“So?” he asks. “What do you want to watch tonight?”
Xie Lian ponders for a moment. “I feel like watching something exciting. A horror movie?”
He clearly has a very peculiar idea about what exciting means, but horror movies have never really bothered Yin Yu, so he agrees easily. He takes Xie Lian’s coat from him and nods towards his bed, where his laptop is already waiting.
“Make yourself comfortable. Do you want snacks?”
“Do you have any popcorn?”
“Salted, I think.”
Xie Lian hums. “That’s fine.”
Yin Yu nods and joins his roommate in the kitchenette while Xie Lian makes himself at home. He opens several cupboards, but discovers none of the snacks he’s promised his friend. Finally, Hua Cheng utters a quiet, “To your left.”
Yin Yu reaches up to open the cupboard in question, then makes a small sound of satisfaction when he finds what he’s been looking for. He grabs several bags of the premade popcorn and is about to head back over to his bed when he finally catches sight of Hua Cheng.
There is a cup in his hand. It is a clean cup. Yin Yu had washed it up and left it to dry on the rack just an hour ago. Hua Cheng, cloth in hand, is cleaning it again. He’s mindlessly rubbing the same spot on the side of the cup over and over again, staring into the sink as if it holds the answers to every question he’s ever wanted to ask.
“Um,” Yin Yu says. “What’s… up?”
Hua Cheng answers with a question of his own: “Who is that?”
“I told you? That’s Xie Lian.”
“But who is he?”
“He’s my best friend.” Yin Yu squints at him. “Why do you ask?”
“No reason.” Hua Cheng shrugs in a way he probably thinks appears nonchalant, but the rise of his shoulders is too stiff and awkward to be anything of the sort. “Does he come over here often?”
“Every now and then. Mostly when you’re at work or in class.”
“I see. Why have you never introduced us?”
“I didn’t think you’d care,” Yin Yu tells him honestly.
Hua Cheng’s hand finally comes to a stop, and he drops the washcloth into the sink. He hums. Yin Yu assumes that it’s the only response he’s going to receive, so he bundles the bags of popcorn into his arms and turns on his heels, leaving his roommate standing aimlessly in the kitchenette by himself.
When he returns to his bed, Xie Lian has already buried himself under the covers in his usual spot by the wall. His eyes light up at the sight of the popcorn, and he eagerly reaches for a bag as soon as Yin Yu sits down beside him. He’s already munched half of its contents by the time Yin Yu has loaded up a random horror movie on his laptop.
“Hungry?” he asks, raising a brow.
Xie Lian pauses in the middle of shoving another handful of popcorn into his mouth, eyes widening. He glances down at his half-empty bag, then at something on the other side of the room, then back down at the bag. Inexplicably, his cheeks turn beet-red. He lowers his hand and laughs nervously.
“Just a little peckish. I got carried away.”
Yin Yu frowns. “It’s fine. Eat as much as you want, I don’t care.”
Xie Lian only shakes his head and places the bag of popcorn down, shifting slightly. He’s silent as the movie loads, and Yin Yu has to fight the urge to place a hand over Xie Lian’s forehead to check his temperature. He isn’t usually this quiet, is he? He certainly isn’t usually so concerned about his own snacking habits.
Before he can worry further, however, Hua Cheng is returning to his bed with his own bag of popcorn. He shoves a handful into his mouth and chews, cheeks puffing out like a hamster’s. Xie Lian makes a quiet sound of amusement before slowly beginning to eat the rest of his popcorn again, and that’s that. Yin Yu shakes his head and decides to push the events of the last few minutes to the back of his mind.
They’ve been watching the movie for ten minutes at the most when Hua Cheng sits up, shoving aside his empty popcorn bag, and shuffles to the side of his bed. He leans forward to peer at the screen.
“What are you watching?” he asks.
“A horror movie,” Xie Lian responds, before Yin Yu can even open his mouth. “It’s called, uh… Yin Yu, what is it called?”
Yin Yu shrugs.
“Sounds interesting,” Hua Cheng says. He, surprisingly, doesn’t sound the least bit sarcastic.
Yin Yu arches a brow. It’s rare that Hua Cheng takes much notice of him at all when both of them are in their room. It’s even rarer for him to take interest in anything that Yin Yu does.
“Do you… want to watch the movie with us?” he asks.
Beside him, Xie Lian stiffens. Yin Yu notices immediately, and is just about to retract his invitation when Xie Lian smiles up at Hua Cheng and nods.
“Yeah, come join us! We can all watch together.”
Something in Hua Cheng’s gaze softens as Xie Lian speaks, and he slides into place beside Yin Yu without hesitation. Xie Lian shuffles a little more to the right, pressing himself up against the wall before nudging Yin Yu to move as well. He scooches over, allowing Hua Cheng to sit more comfortably on the bed.
“Thanks,” Hua Cheng says, looking past Yin Yu at Xie Lian.
Xie Lian mumbles something incoherent in response, then resolutely fixes his gaze on the screen of Yin Yu’s laptop. Yin Yu frowns and shifts a little until he can reach his pocket, where he finds his phone. While his roommate and friend are focused entirely on the movie, he types out a message to Xie Lian.
You
why are you being weird?
just tell me if you’re uncomfortable. I really wouldn’t blame u if u were. I can make up an excuse for us to leave
Xie Lian flinches as his phone vibrates, which makes Hua Cheng flick his gaze back over at him again.
“Everything alright?” Hua Cheng asks, which is weird. Yin Yu doesn’t think he’s ever heard his roommate ask someone anything like that before.
“I’m fine!” Xie Lian glances rapidly between Yin Yu and Hua Cheng, an almost desperate look on his face. “Just, uh. The movie…”
“Ah. Is it scary?”
Yin Yu scoffs; Xie Lian is the last person who’d find horror movies scary. But, to his surprise, Xie Lian nods in response to Hua Cheng’s question.
“A little,” he says quietly.
Hua Cheng smiles. It’s different from his usual sarcastic grins or intimidating smirks. It’s… more genuine. It shows off the dimples Yin Yu has never known he has. Huh.
“Don’t worry, it’s just a silly movie,” Hua Cheng says. “You’re safe here.”
With that, he turns back to the movie looking equal parts smug and giddy. It’s a peculiar look on him, and Yin Yu can’t comprehend what has prompted such a look to grace Hua Cheng’s face in the first place. He slowly turns back to Xie Lian, who has sunk further beneath the covers so that they’re now covering half of his face. His eyes flicker up to Yin Yu when he senses him staring. Yin Yu waves his phone at him pointedly, and Xie Lian quickly scrambles to retrieve his own phone from his pocket.
After a few moments of patiently waiting for his friend to read his messages, Yin Yu sees Xie Lian frantically shaking his head. Yin Yu arches a brow questioningly at him, but remains silent as Xie Lian types out his response.
xie lian
I’m fine!!!!! not uncomfortable at all!!!!!!
You
then why are you so restless?
are you cold? still hungry? do you want an extra pillow?
Hua Cheng suddenly clicks his tongue at something, then sighs. “What an idiot,” he says. He gestures to the screen of Yin Yu’s laptop, where an innocent teenager is now soaked in blood from head to toe.
Yin Yu does not know how the teenager ended up in such a situation, but he’s too distracted by Xie Lian’s squeak of surprise and subsequent blush at the sound of Hua Cheng’s voice to truly care. His head whips back and forth between Xie Lian and Hua Cheng for a moment, until everything suddenly clicks into place. He immediately has to bite his tongue to stop himself from groaning.
You
oh my god
him? really?
xie lian
I am NOT discussing this with u rn
Yin Yu rolls his eyes but doesn’t press the matter. He makes a show of turning off his phone and dropping it onto the mattress between his and Xie Lian’s legs, then turns his attention back to the movie. The screen is dark enough that he can see all three of their reflections in the screen; Xie Lian, with his flushed cheeks and pouty lips, and Hua Cheng, who is never quite looking directly at the screen and has his head turned at just the right angle to see Xie Lian in his peripherals.
The end of the movie can’t come quick enough.
“I still can’t believe you have a thing for my roommate,” Yin Yu announces over coffee the next day.
They’re sitting on a bench outside, because the weather is nice and Xie Lian insisted that the fresh air would do them both good after being holed up in the library all morning. There are very few people around them, which means that Yin Yu can speak as loudly as he wants to without anyone hearing. That doesn’t stop Xie Lian from immediately glancing at their surroundings and flushing pink.
“Shush!” he whispers, hiding his face behind his to-go cup. “I do not have a thing for him!”
“You’re attracted to him,” Yin Yu says.
“Well, um. Yes.”
“Would you date him if you had the chance?”
Xie Lian blanches, which is impressive considering the fact that every drop of blood in his body had been flooding his cheeks just a moment ago. “I don’t know! What sort of question is that?!”
“So, that’s a yes.”
“It was not a yes!”
“Which means that I was right,” Yin Yu continues, ignoring his friend’s splutters of protest. “You have a thing for Hua Cheng.”
Xie Lian groans, places his cup down by his feet, then buries his face into his hands. He mutters something incoherent into his palms, then shakes his head. Yin Yu gently pats his head, smiling fondly when Xie Lian leans slightly into the touch.
“There, there. It’ll be alright.”
There’s another muffled sound from Xie Lian’s lips, which makes Yin Yu laugh.
“What was that?”
Xie Lian sits up and pulls his hands away from his face. His cheeks are very, very red.
“You can’t tell him,” he says.
“I would never,” Yin Yu replies instantly, and he truly means it. He doesn’t converse much with his roommate anyway, but he also would certainly never share any of his best friend’s secrets without his permission.
“Also, I… think it will be best if we have movie nights in my room instead of yours. You know, until I get over this little crush.”
“Little?”
Xie Lian grimaces. “Yin Yu, please.”
“Fine, I’m sorry. We can spend time in your room, instead.”
After all, he supposes that it will be easier than trying to learn Hua Cheng’s schedule.
Their next movie night takes place in Xie Lian’s room, as promised. His roommate is apparently at the gym, which leaves Xie Lian and Yin Yu blessedly alone for the night. They watch a comedy, this time, and Xie Lian orders pizza. Everything is going well until Yin Yu leaves.
After saying goodbye to Xie Lian, Yin Yu is descending the stairs to leave his friend’s dorm building when someone flies around the corner from the flight below and crashes directly into him. Yin Yu is sent toppling backwards, but before he can collide with the stairs, there’s something soft cradling his head and a warm weight settles over him.
He winces, nevertheless, as his foot twists and his elbow knocks into the banisters at his right. It takes him a few seconds to blink away his initial shock. When he’s finally aware of his surroundings again, he quickly realises that the thing cradling his head is a hand, and the weight on top of him is a body.
A very muscular, sweaty body.
“Get off,” he wheezes, and the body moves. Yin Yu briefly gets a mouthful of curly hair, before a panicked face is hovering directly above his own.
Oh. Hm.
“I’m so sorry,” the man above him says, eyes wide in panic. “Are you hurt anywhere?”
Yin Yu dumbly shakes his head. He clears his throat and forces himself to blink out of his stupor. He intends to push the other man away, but as soon as he lifts his hand to those muscled arms, he’s helpless to do anything but grope and stare. The man’s eyes are now the size of saucers, and Yin Yu pulls his hand away as if burned when he realises how ridiculous he’s acting.
“Off,” he repeats.
This time, the man obeys. He crawls carefully backwards, then lifts Yin Yu to his feet as if he weighs no more than a feather. He tries not to let it affect him too much. Or, at least, he tries not to let how much it affects him show on his face.
“I… I really am so s—”
“It’s fine,” Yin Yu says, even though his elbow is still stinging and he can’t put his full weight on his left ankle yet. He just needs this encounter to be over, and quickly. He ducks his head and brushes past the other man, hoping he doesn’t notice his slight limp.
Unfortunately, the man doesn’t let him get away that easily.
“Wait! At least tell me your name,” he says, following after Yin Yu as he increases his speed down the stairs. “And let me make this up to you. Is there anything you want or need? I’ll get it for you, no matter what it is!”
“There’s nothing,” Yin Yu snaps. Oh, that was harsher than he’d meant it to sound. He ignores the wounded noise which leaves the other man’s lips and forces himself to add, “Stop following me. I’m fine, and you’ve done enough.”
It’s rude and not at all what he really wants to say to the other man, but Yin Yu is Yin Yu. He isn’t… used to this. He feels queasy and very embarrassed and also a little angry. He just wants this to be over.
Fortunately, his harsh words seem to be enough to make the other man stop pursuing him. When Yin Yu reaches the bottom floor, there is no longer the sound of footsteps behind him. He releases a sigh of relief, but he also can’t help but feel a little guilty. But there isn’t much to be done about that now, so Yin Yu takes a deep breath before focusing on limping back to his own dorm.
When he arrives, wincing at the way his ankle burns from his short walk, he finds Hua Cheng waiting for him expectantly with a look of intent on his face.
“So,” he begins, which is the first indication that Yin Yu’s night is about to get a whole lot worse. Hua Cheng usually never willingly starts a conversation.
“So,” Yin Yu repeats, collapsing onto his bed and sighing blissfully as his ankle is finally given a chance to rest.
He watches Hua Cheng struggle for a moment. His throat bobs as he swallows, and he opens and closes his mouth several times before any more words leave his lips.
“That friend of yours,” he eventually says. “Xie Lian.”
Yin Yu squints his eyes in suspicion. “What about him?”
“Uh… How is he?”
“He’s fine?”
“Okay. Yeah, that’s good.”
Yin Yu sighs. “Hua Cheng.”
“Hm?”
“What is this really about?”
There’s a pregnant pause, in which Hua Cheng actually fidgets. Yin Yu has never seen him do such a thing. He always thought his roommate was above such actions.
When Hua Cheng finally speaks again, his voice is quiet and laced with nerves. “Do you happen to know if he’s…”
“Single?” Yin Yu guesses.
Hua Cheng visibly flinches. Then he buries his face into his hands and groans, which… Wow. Okay. Maybe he and Xie Lian are perfect for each other, after all.
“Sorry,” Hua Cheng says, which is Red Flag #2. Hua Cheng never apologises.
“What for?”
“I don’t know.”
“Okay.”
“He’s very cute,” Hua Cheng says.
Yin Yu is helpless to do anything but agree. “He is.”
“I’d like to ask him on a date.”
“Ask away.”
Hua Cheng snaps his head up at him, gaping. “I can’t just do that!”
“Why not?”
“Because!”
Suddenly, Yin Yu has the courage to do something he’s never done in front of his roommate before. He rolls his eyes.
“It’s not like he’d reject you,” he grumbles, reaching down to rub at his ankle. “Hey, do we have any painkillers?”
“Hold on. Go back.” Hua Cheng shakes his head, blinking rapidly. “Why wouldn’t he reject me?”
“Uh. Why don’t you just ask him and find out?”
Hua Cheng stares at him without blinking for so long that it becomes more than a little unnerving. Finally, he inhales sharply and nods.
“Alright,” he says under his breath. His lips stretch into a small smile. “Fuck. Okay. I’ll ask him.”
Yin Yu waits a few moments. When he receives nothing but silence, he sighs and stands from the bed. He gives Hua Cheng a pat on the shoulder, then hobbles away to find some damn painkillers himself.
Two days later, Yin Yu is growing a little impatient. Is it really so hard to ask someone out? Well, he certainly wouldn’t know. But he’d been sure that, for someone like Hua Cheng, it would be easy.
Perhaps, he really isn’t as confident as he pretends to be. The thought makes Yin Yu warm up to his roommate just a little more.
“Hey,” he says, drawing Xie Lian’s attention away from his phone as they eat. “You still have a crush on Hua Cheng, right?”
Xie Lian promptly chokes on his food. He hacks and splutters for a few minutes, gratefully gulping down the glass of water Yin Yu nudges towards him, before finally raising a shaky finger and pointing it directly at Yin Yu’s face.
“You—! Gah!”
“That is not a real answer,” Yin Yu says, unable to conceal the smug smile tugging at his lips.
“Since when did you ask questions like that so suddenly? And so loudly, too!” Xie Lian’s head whips back and forth as he checks to make sure that nobody else in the cafeteria is listening in on their conversation. When he’s sure that there are no eavesdroppers, he leans across the table to lightly pinch Yin Yu’s arm. “You’re going to give me a heart attack!”
Yin Yu ignores the pain in his arm courtesy of Xie Lian’s freakish strength and asks, “Am I correct in assuming that you’re purposefully avoiding answering my question because you do still have a crush on him?”
Xie Lian slams his head onto the table with such force that Yin Yu is genuinely scared that he might have knocked himself unconscious. He can’t help but feel extremely relieved when, a second later, Xie Lian whimpers pitifully into the tabletop.
“I do,” he whines. “I do, and it’s so pathetic.”
“It’s not pathetic.”
“It is! I’ve only met him twice!”
Yin Yu frowns. “Twice? You met him again?”
“Oh… yeah.” Xie Lian raises his head and smiles sheepishly. “We bumped into each other after my economics lecture a few days ago.”
“Is that so,” Yin Yu drawls, knowing for a fact that Hua Cheng, an art student, has never had any reason to be anywhere near the commerce buildings. “My, my. What a coincidence.”
“I know!” Xie Lian exclaims, seemingly unaware of how much it isn’t actually a coincidence. “And it was so awkward! I didn’t know what to say or how to act and— Ugh, I’m sure I’ve made such a horrible impression on him.”
“I wouldn’t say that.”
Xie Lian glares at him for a moment. Then, when Yin Yu’s words finally seem to register fully in his mind, the expression is replaced by a look of equal parts bemusement and wariness.
“What does that mean?” he asks. “Do you know something? You know something.”
“I know something,” Yin Yu confirms. “But it’s not my place to say what it is. You’ll just have to wait.”
Without giving Xie Lian a chance to respond, he slides a piece of paper across the table. Xie Lian frowns down at it.
“It won’t bite,” Yin Yu tells him. “It’s only his number.”
Xie Lian’s eyes widen as he hurriedly pushes the piece of paper back towards him. “I can’t possibly take this! Shouldn’t he give me his number himself if he wants me to have it?”
“Xie Lian, he’s a coward,” Yin Yu says, because he’s come to realise that it must be true. When it comes to all things involving Xie Lian, at least.
He nudges the piece of paper back towards Xie Lian. When that doesn’t convince him to take it, he grabs onto Xie Lian’s hand and shoves it into his palm, forcing his fingers closed around it.
“Trust me,” he says.
Xie Lian stares at him with those wide eyes of his. There’s something like hope shining in them.
“Okay,” he says softly. “I will.”
A muffled buzzing sound wakes Yin Yu merely an hour after he’d finally managed to fall asleep. Groaning, he feels around his blankets until he finds his phone. He squints as his eyes adjust to the light of the screen. When he realises that it’s Xie Lian calling him, he quickly forgets his own exhaustion and hurries to answer.
“Xie Lian?”
“Yin Yu, help.”
Yin Yu’s anxiety spikes. He sits up and fumbles for the switch to his bedside light, finally finding it a second later. When the room is lit up, he’s shocked to find that Hua Cheng isn’t in his own bed. He files that concern away for later, though. Xie Lian is more important right now.
“What’s wrong?” he asks. “Are you okay? Where are you?”
“I’m— Okay, don’t freak out,” Xie Lian says, which only brings Yin Yu a step closer to freaking out.
“Why would I freak out?”
There’s a brief pause. Yin Yu thinks he can hear faint music on the other end of the line, as well as something which sounds suspiciously like a toilet being flushed.
Finally, Xie Lian says, “I’m at a bar. With San Lang.”
“You’re at a bar? Wait, who the hell is San Lang? Xie Lian, are you safe?”
“I’m safe! Don’t worry! Oh, right—San Lang is Hua Cheng.”
Oh my god, he finally did it, Yin Yu thinks. He can’t help but feel a little proud of his roommate.
“Oh, okay,” he says, significantly more calm now. “That makes a lot of sense. Hang on, so what do you need help with? Are you having a bad time? Do you want me to pick you up?”
“No! No, seriously, I’m fine! I just…”
Xie Lian pauses for long enough that Yin Yu thinks he’s ended the call, but a quick glance at his phone screen tells him that Xie Lian is still on the line. After a few moments of silence, Yin Yu hears a thud followed by a pained groan.
“Xie Lian?”
“I’m sorry. Yin Yu, I don’t know what to do.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s sitting out there waiting for me—I’m hiding in the bathroom—and he just looks so… handsome. And he’s so kind, and thoughtful, and for some reason he wants to know everything there is to know about me, which. Isn’t a whole lot. And— I don’t know. He’s making me feel like I’m someone worth listening to.”
God, he sounds so upset. He shouldn’t be upset about this. He shouldn’t be upset about anything. Xie Lian deserves to be happy, always.
“You are someone worth listening to, Xie Lian,” Yin Yu says, feeling his throat tighten. “Who has ever told you differently? I’ll beat them up.”
A startled laugh escapes Xie Lian’s lips. “Sure you will.”
“I’ll tell Hua Cheng, and he’ll beat them up,” Yin Yu amends.
“That sounds about right. But— Wait, we’re getting off topic. Yin Yu! He’s perfect! I don’t know what to do.”
“Xie Lian, stop panicking. I know you really like him, and you’re afraid of messing up. But I live with Hua Cheng, and I’ve seen the way he looks when he’s talking about you—or even just thinking about you. Believe me, he has done both of those things a lot.”
Xie Lian’s voice is barely even a whisper when he asks, “He has?”
“He has, A-Lian. And it took him a long time to work up the courage to ask you out, so go back to him and have some fun, okay? I promise that everything will work out.”
He hears some sniffling, followed by a heavy sigh.
“Alright,” Xie Lian says. “Thank you, Yin Yu.”
“There’s no need to thank me.” Yin Yu smiles before adding: “Please don’t get drunk.”
“Oh, I am already so wasted,” Xie Lian says. “Three drinks, Yin Yu! Three!”
“Congratulations, Xie Lian.” Yin Yu sighs, but there’s fondness thrumming beneath his concern. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”
Xie Lian promises to meet him for breakfast before hanging up. Yin Yu makes a mental note to take breakfast to Xie Lian’s dorm, instead. There’s no way he’s going to be fully-functioning in the morning.
He sends off one last message to Hua Cheng telling him to make sure Xie Lian gets home safe (or else, he adds threateningly, because he can get away with that sort of thing when Xie Lian is involved), before rolling over and promptly falling asleep again.
He does so with a smile on his face.
Watching his best friend date his roommate is… weird. It’s weird to arrive back at his room after a day of lectures and find Xie Lian napping in Hua Cheng’s bed, while Hua Cheng scrolls through his phone with one hand and plays with Xie Lian’s hair with the other. It’s weird to meet his best friend for lunch and find out that his roommate has decided to tag along at the last minute. It’s weird to drop by Xie Lian’s room with a bag of takeout and find Hua Cheng inside, already helping Xie Lian prepare dinner.
It’s weird, but it’s not bad. Yin Yu is happy for Xie Lian. And it’s not like they really spend any less time with each other now. It’s just that, when they do hang out, Hua Cheng is often with them.
There are still some nights, though, where it’s just the two of them. Yin Yu likes those nights the most, he decides.
Tonight is one of those nights. Well— It’s supposed to be. Alas, Yin Yu knows as soon as Xie Lian opens the door to let him inside his room that things have changed.
“I’m so sorry,” Xie Lian says. “I would’ve told you sooner that my roommate will be home tonight, but I actually didn’t know until a few minutes ago. I hope you don’t mind.”
Considering the fact that Yin Yu had been preparing himself for another night of third-wheeling ever since Xie Lian greeted him with that signature sheepish smile of his, he truly doesn’t mind at all. He shrugs.
“It’s not an issue.”
Xie Lian beams. “Great! Come on in and meet him.”
He steps aside and ushers Yin Yu through the door. As he closes the door behind them and reaches out to take Yin Yu’s coat, there’s a sharp gasp from further inside the room.
“Stair guy!” someone exclaims, and oh. Oh fuck. Yin Yu recognises that voice.
Dread pools in his stomach as he lifts his head and makes eye contact with Xie Lian’s roommate. He’s the same man Yin Yu had bumped into on the stairs before—well, the other man had bumped into him actually, but that’s beside the point. He’s staring at Yin Yu now with a mixture of excitement, relief, and curiosity glittering in his eyes. His grin shows off his pearly white teeth, and the tilt of his head makes his curls fall into his face. When he waves, his arm muscles flex.
Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.
Xie Lian glances between the two of them, bemused. “Yizhen, you know Yin Yu?”
“Yeah!” his roommate—Yizhen—exclaims. “He’s the stair guy! Remember?”
Yin Yu only has a second to feel mortified at the knowledge that they’ve apparently spoken about him, before Xie Lian is making a quiet sound of understanding. In fact, the look on his face is one a person might wear while experiencing an epiphany. Oh, that can’t be good.
“Yes I remember the stair guy,” Xie Lian says. “The guy you thought was cute, right?”
Yin Yu’s heart sinks. He sends Xie Lian a pleading look, but it’s no use. A shit-eating grin has already appeared on Xie Lian’s face, and he raises a brow at Yin Yu as if in challenge.
“Oh dear, it looks like San Lang is calling me,” he says, waving his phone in the air. It is absolutely not ringing. “It must be urgent, so I’m afraid I’ll have to leave the two of you alone for a bit. Have fun getting to know each other!”
And with that, he leaves Yin Yu to his very muscled, very tanned, very beautiful doom.