Chapter Text
Mu Qing simply couldn’t believe this. There Feng Xin was, eating his meal without a care in the world. They were all sitting in their usual spot at the mall, eating from the same restaurant as they always have, and Feng Xin was staring down at his rice like it was the most fascinating thing he’d ever eaten.
He just really couldn’t believe this. Not only did he spend more time than usual on his appearance, but he sat through hours of Xie Lian and Hua Cheng admiring weapons at a shop only to spend time with Feng Xin. And Feng Xin hadn't noticed a single thing. At first, he admired the weapons along with them and when he lost interest, he leaned against the wall and started to doze off, bobbing his head the entire time.
Now here he was, oblivious to the fact that they could talk alone because the other two were wrapped in their own conversation, but he wasn't saying anything. He was still staring down at that damn rice!
It couldn't be that Feng Xin wasn't interested in Mu Qing. There was no other explanation for why he only bought Mu Qing rare gifts every time he travelled out of the city for work. Nor why he called him all hours of the night, either to talk about nothing or just to have someone else on the line. To have that feeling that neither of them were alone. Also, why else would he hold Mu Qing when he cried or couldn't sleep? It was certainly something Mu Qing never did with anyone else, so it couldn't be that he wasn’t into Mu Qing. It just couldn’t be.
As Xie Lian was laughing at something Hua Cheng said to him, Mu Qing scowled on instinct. He really hoped he didn’t look like that whenever he talked with Feng Xin. But what if he did? Would Feng Xin then finally- No , Mu Qing thought as he shook his head. Somehow Feng Xin would still be oblivious if Mu Qing gawked at him like that. So then what would get Feng Xin off his ass and finally voice his true feelings? What could it possibly take?
“A-Qing, you agree with me, don’t you?”
Mu Qing blinked out of his thoughts as both Xie Lian and Hua Cheng stared at him in expectation. He didn’t have a clue as to what they were talking about, but for the slightest moment, an idea came to him. Possibly dangerous, and maybe even a little more than insane, but it was something.
He impulsively shot out of his chair with a shout. “I’m dating Xie Lian!!”
“...”
The entire table fell silent as they all slowly turned to where Mu Qing was standing. Mu Qing could care less about the other people around them, giving him odd looks. Nor did he care about the clanging of Hua Cheng’s chopsticks as they dropped to the floor, causing an echo throughout the court.. All he was concerned about was how Feng Xin would react.
Maybe this would finally push Feng Xin to wake up and ask Mu Qing out. Maybe he'd get upset, possibly even jealous. Mu Qing was just hoping for something, anything.
However, what he never expected was for Feng Xin to burst into laughter. “Ha ha ha, what the f-”
“Feng Xin and I are dating.”
Feng Xin's abrupt laughter stopped as soon as it started and everyone fell silent once more at Hua Cheng's serious announcement. Mu Qing definitely didn’t feel like bursting into laughter. For a moment, he couldn’t feel anything at all before the shock and then the burning fury ignited. His vision blurred with a darker red than Hua Cheng’s turtleneck as the announcement crashed over him.
This was not supposed to happen. Hua Cheng was obviously in love with Xie Lian. He was supposed to be professing his love to him, not announcing that he’s with Feng Xin!
And Feng Xin.
He was supposed to dismiss Mu Qing's initial announcement and reject Hua Cheng’s statement even more. He was supposed to finally wake up to the truth that he’s in love with Mu Qing. He was not supposed to be dating someone else, especially not Hua Cheng!
“W-What-” Mu Qing began, stopping only when Feng Xin shouted over his whisper.
“Huh?!?”
“San Lang?” Xie Lian asked quietly, but firmly enough that everyone turned to watch his face fall as he was desperately pleading for it not to be true. Again, this was not supposed to happen.
They were all staring Hua Cheng down while he stood firm, glaring at Mu Qing. Reflexively, he glared right back. Feng Xin started shoving at Hua Cheng’s arm, murmuring too low for Mu Qing to understand. And poor Xie Lian looked about ready to cry as he tried pulling on Mu Qing's shoulder to get him to explain.
Mu Qing wanted nothing more than to explain everything to Xie Lian, but not when they were all together. If they could just have a minute alone-
“So is it true then, Gege?” Hua Cheng questioned, more solemn than Mu Qing had ever heard him. It terrified him more than the time in college when Feng Xin and Mu Qing tried to pull his eyepatch off when he was asleep and were almost beaten to death with the textbook Hua Cheng had fallen asleep on. If Mu Qing was honest with himself, it still gave him nightmares to this day.
“Are you really dating Mu Qing?”
Xie Lian opened his mouth to reply, but Mu Qing quickly nudged Xie Lian’s foot under the table. He slowly turned to Mu Qing, who tried with everything he had to convey that he needed this. He desperately needed Xie Lian to go along with this. He had to trust him.
He watched as Xie Lian slowly deciphered Mu Qing’s expressions and slouched with a sigh, letting Mu Qing know he’d convinced his friend. Xie Lian faced Hua Cheng again, and Mu Qing could feel Xie Lian’s body trembling next to him. He could even make out the slight wetness at the corners of his eyes.
For the first time in a long time, Mu Qing felt instant, crushing regret. The last thing he wanted to do was screw up what Xie Lian and Hua Cheng could have. What they’d been making their way towards for years. He knew exactly how they felt about the other, so it was truly wrong of him to do this. He reached out to stop Xie Lian at the last minute, but it was too late.
“Yes, yes I am.”
Not a flicker of emotion rippled across Hua Cheng’s face at the confession. He only nodded as he reached to fondly grasp Feng Xin’s shoulder with a sly smirk at Mu Qing. “Then just to confirm it too, I am dating Feng Xin.”
“Wait, I didn’t-”
Feng Xin began, but Mu Qing talked over him, too focused on that cursed hand touching Feng Xin. “Great, since that’s all settled, why don’t we have a double date sometime?”
“Not a chance in hell-”
“Yeah, A-Qing, I don’t think that that’s the best ide-”
“No, it's perfect.” Hua Cheng cut in with a malicious grin. “I think it’s a perfect idea, don’t you dear?” He asked Feng Xin, who immediately grimaced as he slapped Hua Cheng’s hand off of his shoulder.
“No, I actually think it’s the worst idea because we’re not-”
“Are you free this coming Saturday?” Mu Qing continued conversing with Hua Cheng as if Feng Xin hadn’t said a word.
“We sure are.”
“Actually San Lang, I have an appointment-”
Feng Xin nodded along with Xie Lian’s insistence. “And I don’t want-”
“Perfect, then it’s settled.” Mu Qing replied with an even more vicious grin right back at Hua Cheng, grabbing Xie Lian’s hand and pulling him away from the group, purposely showing off that he was holding Xie Lian’s hand. “See you on Saturday then.”
After one of the longest, most awkward rides back on the train to Mu Qing’s apartment, he and Xie Lian collapsed onto his couch with sighs. Now that Mu Qing had a minute to breathe and collect all of his thoughts, it finally hit him how much of an idiot he was. How in the hell did he get himself mixed into something like this?
Not only did he not confess to Feng Xin, but he was dating Xie Lian now? Mu Qing had never once entertained that thought. There wasn’t anything wrong with Xie Lian. He was, after all, Mu Qing’s best friend, but that was where it ended. And that was going to make this so much harder to accomplish.
“Hey, Xie Lian, did I really just do that? Did I really say all of that?” He groaned as he sunk lower into his dark, fabric couch in his living room. “Or was that all just a fever dream?”
“I wish,” Xie Lian replied, weakly. “I’m still not processing it either. But the thing that I don’t understand the most is why? Why do that when everyone knows that you’re in love with Feng Xin?”
Mu Qing instantly stiffened, his initial reflex to anyone reading his feelings without him letting them. “What? I don’t-” He broke off at Xie Lian’s flat look. He had already been enough of an idiot today. He at least owed Xie Lian the truth. “It’s going to sound crazy when I try to explain it.”
Xie Lian adjusted himself on the couch so that he could face Mu Qing as he leaned against it. “It doesn’t matter. Just tell me.”
Where would Mu Qing even begin? Because if he was supposed to explain everything about how he felt, that’d be hours long. Because it wasn’t just a couple weeks kind of thing, it was an entire lifetime with Feng Xin. An entire lifetime he sometimes couldn’t even put into words, but he could at least try for Xie Lian.
“I’m not sure about everyone knowing, but as you do, I’ve been in love with Feng Xin for a while now.” Xie Lian gave him another flat look. “Fine, years, for many years now. But that’s just it, only I’ve been in love with him. Nothing’s happened between us and we’ve been by each other’s sides since we were kids. Hell, we even work on the same street. We meet up for lunch every day. We call each other almost every other night. We fight, we flirt, we compete for no reason, but it always stays the same.”
“Nothing’s changing and I can’t stand it anymore. I don’t want to be stuck like this forever.”
“Then why didn’t you just tell him how you felt, yourself?”
Mu Qing had thought about it. He had almost written out an entire explanation (confession), but he could never go through it. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he could never let Feng Xin have one over him. Maybe he didn’t like being put in a situation where he had to be vulnerable, where he couldn’t keep his walls up. Maybe he was just simply afraid.
Whatever it was, he didn’t have time to dig through his personal baggage to figure everything out. He just couldn’t wait any longer and went with the first idea that popped into his head.
“It doesn’t matter. What’s done is done.”
“Yeah, and what are we supposed to do now?” Xie Lian bit his lip in worry and Mu Qing felt that pang of guilt again. “How long is this going to go on for? What’s your goal here?”
He didn’t have a clue, but he knew Xie Lian wouldn’t appreciate hearing that. “Look, I don’t have everything planned out, but it won’t be that long, I promise. Just a week or two, at the most a month.”
Xie Lian looked about ready to faint at the statement. “Why did I agree to this?”
“Because you love me.” Mu Qing tried to joke but they both cringed at it. “Yeah, first rule is nothing too cheesy or gross. And less touching and closeness would be nice.”
“Yeah, they’ll definitely believe we’re dating now.”
“Speaking of,” Mu Qing continued, deciding to let his friend’s snarky comment slide. “we should have a story prepared. Oh, and some pictures to make it believable that we’ve been dating for a while.”
“And how are we supposed to do that?” Xie Lian sighed as he scrolled through his phone for any kind of picture that they’ve taken together. “Our ‘double date’ - which was a stupid idea by the way-” Mu Qing pulled the pillow from under his arm and smacked Xie Lian with it. “-is this Saturday, so we only have three days until then.”
Mu Qing paused for a second, before remembering something he saw on television one time and turned to Xie Lian with a grin. “Are you free tomorrow afternoon, honey?” Xie Lian gave his friend a wary glance, to which Mu Qing smirked as he reached for Xie Lian’s shoulder-length hair. It was a rich brown with pieces at the front pulled back into a bun, but it was still so obviously unkempt.
“And by the way, if you’re going to be my partner, you’re going to have to look the part.”
After Xie Lian’s ends were cut and his hair was straightened, he and Mu Qing set out on their afternoon pretending to be a couple. They first stopped at a cafe where they put on extra jackets and took a picture before removing them and heading toward a park where they changed into athletic clothes to take another picture.
To sum up Mu Qing’s so-called brilliant idea, they ran around the city, changing outfits and locations while simultaneously taking pictures at every one of them. Sometimes it was difficult when Mu Qing’s extremely long hair was blown by the wind in Xie Lian’s face and they had to retake the pictures.
“Why don’t you ever cut it?” Xie Lian asked after the third redo as they stood in front of a fountain downtown.
“Why are you complaining?” Mu Qing snapped back before they both paused to fake a smile for the camera. “I thought you liked your San Lang ’s long hair, so why are you knocking mine?”
One of Xie Lian’s rare blushes erupted across his cheeks as Mu Qing used the word ‘your.’ “I-I do like his hair. I find it rather beautiful, but I know he keeps it that way because it’s more comfortable. Now why do you keep growing it out? I always hear you complaining about it being in the way.”
Mu Qing started to give out his usual excuse but then paused as he remembered that Xie Lian deserved more honesty. “I was planning to cut it a couple years back when Feng Xin was going to, but then he said he really liked it like this and that I shouldn’t change it. So I never have.”
He twirled a strand around his finger as he thought of that time. Of how tender Feng Xin’s face appeared under the lowly-lit lanterns above them as they walked together one night. Of how Feng Xin’s eyes seemed to grow fonder when he complimented Mu Qing. And the part he could never forget was how affectionately he brushed Mu Qing’s hair away and leaned in so close that he could feel Feng Xin’s breath on his face.
Xie Lian’s eyes softened as he nudged Mu Qing’s side, laughing at his friend’s reddened face. “Wow, I guess you really are in love with him, huh?”
“Unfortunately.” Mu Qing scoffed as he led Xie Lian to another “date” spot. “Now enough about that, we need a story of how we’re in love. Any ideas?”
“You’ve always admired me since we were kids and developed a crush, pining for years until you finally asked me out?” Xie Lian suggested with a cocky grin that Mu Qing reflexively balled his fists at.
“Absolutely not.”
“Oh come on, Mu Qing-”
“No, I would rather do literally anything else than admit that.”
“You owe me.” Xie Lian replied firmly, stopping Mu Qing in his tracks with a fierce frown. “I’m giving up a lot by agreeing to your charade. You really owe me more than this.”
Mu Qing sneered but the fight in him immediately deflated. “You can’t keep using that every time you want something.”
“Oh yes I can.” Xie Lian snickered. “And you’ll let me get away with it every time I do.”
Not wanting to fall deeper into this hellhole he dragged himself into, Mu Qing took Xie Lian’s teasing in frustrated silence throughout the rest of the afternoon. Xie Lian thought that the pictures of him scowling and glaring were more realistic than the ones where he smiled.
“That’s getting really annoying now.” Xie Lian snapped in a hushed whisper as he and Mu Qing stood in front of the entrance of the amusement park. If it had been up to Mu Qing, they’d be at a restaurant or noodle shop. Something simple and fast enough to escape if need be. But no, Hua Cheng just had to decide on the place, and of course, Xie Lian couldn’t say no.
As a result, Mu Qing was tapping his foot as he stared at the watch on his wrist as he waited. “Well if they had come on time then I wouldn’t be like this.”
“It’s still five minutes before they’re supposed to come! Just admit you’re nervous.”
Like Mu Qing would ever do that. It was just a little excitement and the usual anger brewing underneath. It wasn’t like he was going on a date with Feng Xin and having Hua Cheng and Xie Lian as their double date like it was supposed to be. But who had gotten them all into this mess?
“I’m giving them two more and then-”
“Oh please,” Xie Lian interrupted with disbelief at Mu Qing’s obviously empty threat. “You wouldn’t do anything. You’d still stay here and wait, possibly pine.”
Mu Qing bared his teeth, becoming annoyed at Xie Lian’s constant teasing. “Says the one who-”
“Hello, Gege, you look lovely.”
On instinct alone, Mu Qing stiffened with a murderous glare at Hua Cheng approaching them from behind. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt this odd chill in the air and wisely took a step back from Xie Lian to greet Hua Cheng. He was shocked to notice that Hua Cheng was wearing a pressed, white button-up, a crimson red suit jacket, and black slacks that matched the darkness of his eyepatch. His long, pitch-black hair was curled at the ends, and he was even wearing shining studs in his ears that looked as expensive as the watch on his wrist.
Mu Qing couldn’t blame Xie Lian for how brightly he was blushing at the moment.
“H-Hi San Lang! You also look s-so handsome.”
Hua Cheng smiled so tenderly at Xie Lian that his eyes crinkled and Mu Qing felt the odd need to glance away for a moment. “Thank you, Gege. I brought you this, hope you can accept it.”
Mu Qing dared a glance out of the corner of his eye to find that Hua Cheng was holding out a single, very beautiful flower.
“Y-Yes of course. Thank you so much, San Lang!” Xie Lian moved to embrace Hua Cheng but froze with a worried bit of his lip. “But shouldn’t you be giving this to- um- Feng-”
“I gave him a bouquet of flowers already.”
Xie Lian’s face immediately fell as he stared down at the single flower, dejectedly. “Oh.”
Hua Cheng chuckled at Xie Lian and reached out to lift Xie Lian’s chin so that he would face him again. “But they were store bought and without care. I spent hours bargaining with a neighbor of mine before being allowed to pick this rare flower myself. And the only person I could think of giving it to was you. Is there something wrong with it?”
Mu Qing wasn’t sure if Xie Lian was going to cry or laugh as he shook his head. “No, it’s perfect. I love it, San Lang. Can I…?” He held out his arms and Hua Cheng immediately crashed into them with a tight embrace.
Mu Qing couldn’t help but notice how kind Hua Cheng was until he glanced over Xie Lian’s shoulder with a menacing grin at Mu Qing. I’m not even trying to compete with you! You can have him! He rolled his eyes before turning away from them again.
They should all know which person he actually cared about. He just hoped that Feng Xin would at least notice how well he dressed up for this. He’d donned a black turtleneck with a beige overcoat and tight-fitting slacks, accompanied by black boots. He kept his hair down instead of pulling it half-up as usual and even fought his way through straightening the mess that was his hair.
He purposely chose to wear the small golden hoop that Feng Xin had bought for him months ago, as well as the watch Mu Qing received from Feng Xin’s father as a going-away present when they all moved to their current city. Though to be fair, Mu Qing wore it every day whether anyone noticed or not.
As Mu Qing searched for Feng Xin, he didn’t expect for him to appear right in front of him. And looking so- so incredibly hot.
“And how long are you going to drag this day out?”
Feng Xin’s nasty tone wasn’t even heard by Mu Qing as he gawked at Feng Xin’s appearance. The man rarely ever put any thought in, but now here he was with a black bomber jacket with golden designs on the sleeve, extremely tight jeans, and an even tighter white v-neck that dipped much lower than any v-neck Mu Qing had seen before.
His immediate thought was if Feng Xin had been working out more than normal because damn-
“Hey, are you listening? Hello??”
Thankfully, Mu Qing was snapped out of his thoughts before they started to spiral. Feng Xin was waving his hand in front of Mu Qing’s. Before he knew it, he was gripping the collar of Feng Xin’s jacket with a snarl as fury enveloped him. “What in the hell?!?”
“Huh? What’s your pro-”
“How come you’ve never once dressed like this before??” Mu Qing snapped as he gave Feng Xin another once-over. “And are those boots?!? Boots, Feng Xin?? They even have heels!” He released one hand to point an accusatory finger at the other. “You said you’d die before ever wearing them!”
Feng Xin’s face twisted in disgust as he turned to Hua Cheng. “And I stick to it! But if it wasn’t for that irritating bast-” He broke off as his face transformed into terror, and Mu Qing whipped his head around but only found Hua Cheng talking with Xie Lian like before. “That wonderful partner of mine suggested I should look nicer for this, so I did.”
His friend slowly tried to release the grip that Mu Qing had on his shirt. “I don’t get what you’re getting so worked up about. It’s just an outfit-”
“But you’ve never once done something like that for me!” Mu Qing retorted as his frustration continued to grow. “Whenever I've been invited to upscale restaurants or events, I have to literally beg you to put on a tie and promise about half my fortune to convince you to come well-dressed. And even then, you rip the tie off in the first five minutes!”
“But what’s that got to do with-”
“Why is it so different with him??” Mu Qing continued, but much quieter and more to himself than Feng Xin. Suddenly it felt like this plan was utterly backfiring, and instead of Feng Xin being affected by the change in their respective relationships, only Mu Qing was. Only Mu Qing was frustrated and slightly jealous. “Why him and not me…?”
“A-Qin-”
“Hey, are you guys ready to pay for the tickets now?”
Mu Qing turned back to Hua Cheng and Xie Lian to see that Xie Lian was walking over to him to pull him away from Feng Xin and towards the entrance to pay. Hua Cheng sank back with Feng Xin, and Mu Qing even didn’t have the energy to turn around.
After he paid, Xie Lian wrapped his arm around Mu Qing’s elbow as they walked through the entrance, but before they could get any farther, Feng Xin pulled on Mu Qing from behind. “Wait, just let me ask you one thing, real quick.”
Xie Lian winked at Mu Qing before walking off with Hua Cheng towards the park. Mu Qing followed Feng Xin warily to the side as Feng Xin trapped him against the brick wall with his arm propped against it.
Mu Qing wasn’t about to get his hopes up, so he simply waited until Feng Xin leaned in to whisper, “Did Xie Lian change something about his hair?”
What the fuc - “Are you shitting me right now?!” Mu Qing spat back at him venomously. “After everything that’s happened in the past couple days and that’s all you want to ask me??”
Feng Xin shrugged and Mu Qing immediately moved to walk around Feng Xin where his arm wasn’t caging Mu Qing in. But Feng Xin was quick to pull Mu Qing back against the wall. “I was just wondering, alright? I thought it looked nice.”
“Of course it does. I recommended it.”
Feng Xin rolled his eyes, but he didn’t look annoyed at all. “I should’ve known. Now, who really needs a haircut is Hua Cheng. What do you say, try cutting it ourselves while he’s sleeping? Just like old times?”
Mu Qing tried with all his might not to grin back at Feng Xin’s contagious smile but inevitably lost. He turned away from Feng Xin as he felt the smile continue to widen. Just when he was about to ask why Feng Xin would ever want to do that to his supposed partner, Feng Xin did something he’d never expected.
He leaned in close to Mu Qing again, brushing his thumb along Mu Qing’s jaw before landing on the golden hoop in Mu Qing’s right ear. As Mu Qing turned to discover that their faces were mere centimeters apart, he learned what the phrase about one’s heart leaping into their throat meant.
“A-Qing.” Mu Qing shivered at the way Feng Xin whispered his name like that. “You look nice today, really nice. Though I think you look just as attractive as you do when you’re at my place, sitting on my couch in sweats and messy hair when we’re binging a show together. So what do I really know?”
Before Mu Qing could even begin formulating an answer to that, Xie Lian called after them again. Unaffected, Feng Xin shrugged and followed after them, leaving behind a reeling Mu Qing.
As he was trying to process what happened, he was dragged along by Xie Lian, completely unaware of anything else. Had Feng Xin actually complimented him? Did he really say he thought that Mu Qing was attractive? Did he- did he almost try to kiss Mu Qing?!?
“Why don’t we try this ride first?” Xie Lian asked, abruptly breaking Mu Qing out of his spiraling thoughts. He blinked around to find that it was bumper cars. When it was being explained to them, Xie Lian made sure to put an emphasis on bumping their rides against others, not ramming, bumping .
When Mu Qing and Xie Lian were ready to be seated in the ride, Hua Cheng suddenly grabbed Xie Lian’s hand and whisked him to the ride first. “Hey! What’re you doing-”
“C’mon, Gege, I know you’ll have more fun with me.” Hua Cheng winked at Xie Lian as they sat down, causing Xie Lian to beam at him, and Mu Qing to grow more furious by the second. “Besides, I wanted to protect you from any harm that might come your way. I know he wouldn’t be able to do that.” He added with a venomous smirk at Mu Qing. Before he could retort, their seatbelts were tightened and away they went.
“What is wrong with your boyfriend?!?”
Feng Xin immediately grimaced at Mu Qing’s shout before shaking his head repeatedly. “He isn’t my boyfriend.”
Confused, Mu Qing tilted his head at Feng Xin’s very real disgust at the question. “What? But I thought you both said that-”
A flash of something rippled across Feng Xin’s face, too fast for Mu Qing to read, before Feng Xin interrupted him. “No, I meant he’s my partner. You do know how childish the word ‘boyfriend’ is, don’t you?”
Before Mu Qing could reach close enough to strangle his friend, they were led inside the next ride and strapped down before Mu Qing could protest. “Hey! We’re not-”
“Please keep your hands inside the vehicle at all times-”
“I’m telling you that we don’t want to-”
“And please no excessive bumping into someone else. Have a great ride!” The teenager waved them off while Mu Qing tried to keep shouting his protest, but Feng Xin was already pushing on the pedal and steering them towards where the other two were.
“Let me steer this thing.”
“Too late.”
“Stop being such a damn child about this and move over!” Mu Qing was able to push hard enough to get at least one of his hands on the wheel. However, he was too distracted to get his other one because of how close they were and how much he was able to feel Feng Xin’s corded arms through his jacket.
They kept shoving at each other so much that the steering wheel was jerked around too much. Because they were focusing on the wheel so much and not what was in front of them, they crashed right into the wall. There were collective gasps and laughs behind them, but Mu Qing couldn’t hear most of it over the ringing in his ears as he groaned.
He never expected that a ride children can drive would hurt so much when you crashed it. Maybe that’s why Xie Lian emphasized the word bumping. Right before he asked if Feng Xin was alright, he felt something else ram into them with a loud thud.
Bewildered, he considered that his hearing was worse off than he remembered. That was until another thud was heard after something hit them. Then again, and again, and again. Mu Qing unbuckled the belt to rise from his seat and discovered a child on Feng Xin’s left, ramming his vehicle right into them.
Mu Qing was rarely ever struck speechless, but this little brat really took the cake. He had the nastiest look on his face as he continued to back up and immediately ram into them again.
“What in the he-”
“What’re you gonna do about it?” The little boy snapped as he backed up again before hitting them harder this time. “Huh?”
“Hey, calm down, we didn’t do anything-”
“I don’t care. I’m bored!” The kid cut in sharply, interrupting Feng Xin’s futile attempt to solve the situation peacefully.
After he slammed into them again, Mu Qing gave the boy the most furious, terrifying look as he snarled at him. “I swear, if you do that one more time, I’ll-”
“What??” The kid interrupted as he purposely rammed into them with a smirk. “What’re you gonna do? You can’t hurt me.”
Mu Qing and Feng Xin shared a look before instantly buckling down and revving up their ride before chasing after the boy. He screamed as he rode ahead of them, making everyone move out of his way. However, Mu Qing and Feng Xin didn’t have time for niceties.
Therefore, if anyone was in their path, they’d gun it even faster, knocking the people out of their way. Numerous shouts and screams were heard behind them, but they weren’t paid any attention. Unlike before where Mu Qing and Feng Xin were fighting against each other, they worked together in complete sync.
Of all times for Mu Qing to be struck by this, it was then. In the most trivial tasks like working on assignments when they were in high school, planning trips together for breaks during college, and currently helping Mu Qing build furniture for his newly bought house, they worked without needing to say a word. Like they were of the same mind. They understood each other so well and knew what the other needed, so they didn’t have to say anything. They would simply do it.
Again, of all times for Mu Qing to be struck by his love for his friend, it just had to happen now.
“Watch out!!” Someone shouted and they jerked their wheel to the right, narrowly missing a mother and her child and thankfully didn’t barge into them.
“Help me!” The boy they were chasing screamed as they backed him into the corner. They weren’t trying to hurt the child. They were obviously just trying to teach him a lesson of respect, but unfortunately no one else was able to understand that.
Therefore, right as they were nearing the boy, something suddenly slammed right into them, knocking their ride right back into the wall with an echoing thud. As Mu Qing was trying to shake himself out of his stupor with another groan, the only image he saw was that terrifying red eye and-
“You four: OUT!!!!”
“Of all the places to be kicked out of and it had to be a children’s ride. A kid's ride!!” Xie Lian shouted in exasperation as he shook his head at Mu Qing and Feng Xin.
Mu Qing knew that he should probably feel more embarrassed by that fact, but he still felt unjustified by the way the boy was never punished for barreling into them. “But he started it!”
Everyone paused to stare at Mu Qing for a long moment. “You do know how immature that sounded, right?”
“But he did!”
Feng Xin threw his head back with one of the deep, loud laughs that Mu Qing loved so dearly. It transformed the other’s entire demeanor into a much softer and more tender Feng Xin. Mu Qing could only dream of basking in the warmth of that smile. It was so infectious that Mu Qing started laughing along with him.
“A-Qing, I swear.” Xie Lian continued to shake his head in disappointment, but as Mu Qing glanced at him, he watched how hard Xie Lian fought not to smile. “You’re as hopeless as ever.”
“Isn’t he, though?” Feng Xin chuckled as Mu Qing jabbed his side. “I swear, sometimes he acts just like he did when we first met.”
As Xie Lian proceeded to tell Hua Cheng the story of how they all met as children, even though he’d told it numerous times, Mu Qing didn’t stop him. It was a moment he could never forget and would much less want to. He could still remember how they all looked as kids, sitting in their classroom as they played with their different groups.
Mu Qing had just moved to their district in Jiangsu because his mother was hoping for a better life near the larger cities. He was the only new kid in their class in the small city they lived on the outskirts of Shanghai. Xie Lian was the first to talk with Mu Qing and his first friend. But as soon as Feng Xin stepped in the classroom and snatched Xie Lian away, Mu Qing and Feng Xin’s constant rivalry began.
No matter what school they transferred to or city they moved to, Feng Xin and Mu Qing were always right by each other’s sides and at each other’s throats. However, what Xie Lian didn’t know was that during the later years in high school, when he took the more advanced classes, Mu Qing and Feng Xin stayed in the regular ones together.
To make up for the silence and time apart, Mu Qing and Feng Xin had to grow closer if they didn’t want their classes to be miserable. Then somewhere along the way, it changed. Over the course of many years, it began to change their bond. For instance, when they were in college together and immediately decided to become dorm-mates without telling Xie Lian until the day they moved in. When they decided to move to the same city so their jobs would be close to each other.
Most of all, the feelings between them began to change. At least for Mu Qing, it had. Because even now, Mu Qing still wasn’t able to tell how Feng Xin felt.
“How about we try this one next, Gege? I’ve heard it’s really fun.” Hua Cheng asked as he led them to an enormous roller coaster. So large that Mu Qing had to lean back to stare up at it as he shook himself out of the cobweb of memories he was stuck in.
Feng Xin shrugged at the suggestion, and Mu Qing was about to copy him until he caught Xie Lian giving him subtle glances. He leaned down to whisper in Xie Lian’s ear, “What is it?”
“Gege, is everything alright?” Hua Cheng eyed the two of them, causing Mu Qing to glare at him as he gestured for Xie Lian to answer. “You do want to ride on it, don’t you? It’ll be so much fun.”
Xie Lian’s gaze flickered between them before nodding while scratching his temple. “Of course, let’s go.”
Now Mu Qing knew that was an immediate sign that Xie Lian was lying. However, Xie Lian grabbed his arm, too tight for his liking, before shoving them both in line. “I don’t think I can do this.”
“Then just say no.”
“But San Lang looks so excited about it!” He nodded his chin at Hua Cheng in front of them and they both watched him talk about the ride animatedly with Feng Xin, who appeared extremely uninterested. “He’s so adorable, isn’t he?”
“Save it for the ride, then I’ll be free to vomit.”
Xie Lian gripped Mu Qing’s arm tight again as his face paled. “I-I’m sorry, what?”
“Next!"
Again, Mu Qing wasn’t able to protest enough before they were strapped down and headed up the roller coaster. And it was the longest twenty minutes of his life. Unfortunately, he had scars he wasn’t sure would ever heal on his arm and the hearing in his right ear was still gone as they waited for Xie Lian by the restrooms.
“Gege, are you sure you’re alright? Do you want to go home?”
“No, no, I’m fine!” Xie Lian assured as he returned with a little more color in his cheeks and his face much drier than before. “I don’t want to leave yet.”
“Then how about taking a break to eat before another ride?” Mu Qing suggested as he rubbed Xie Lian’s back in soothing circles. “At least let me buy you some water.”
“I already bought it.” Hua Cheng boasted as he handed Xie Lian a water bottle. Mu Qing wished, not for the last time, that he could just tell Hua Cheng that they were not competing! “Would you like to sit down?”
“How about one more ride and then we’ll relax?” Xie Lian suggested. “But maybe something a bit easier than the last?”
“As you wish.” Hua Cheng bowed with a wink at Xie Lian before offering his elbow and away they went to none other than the Ferris wheel.
“I’ll be sitting this one out.” Mu Qing murmured with a nod at Feng Xin, but he was immediately pulled back by his friend. Unfortunately, the line was extremely short and he couldn’t break out of Feng Xin’s hold long enough to escape. Therefore, for the third time that day, he was stuck in an inescapable ride.
With a long sigh, Mu Qing leaned back against the bench cushions and closed his eyes.
“Tired?”
“Hmm.” Mu Qing wasn’t sure if they’d even been there more than two hours and he was already exhausted to the bone.
“Did you get any sleep last night?” No, but Feng Xin didn’t need to know that it was because he was nervous for this date. “So that’s why you’re so pissy today.”
Mu Qing’s foot shot out on instinct to kick at Feng Xin’s. “Shut up.”
“Is it because of work? I thought you said you would stop taking on extra projects just for the sake of sucking up. You’ve worked there for five years now. You don’t need to kiss anyone else’s ass. Unless that’s the kind of thing you’re into-”
This time, Mu Qing kicked Feng Xin’s shin, much harder than the one before. “I said shut up! And I haven’t been taking on extra work.”
“Don’t lie to me just because you don’t want me to have another good, long talk with your boss.”
He worked in fashion, specifically clothing designs. And because Mu Qing wanted to rise as high as he could in the company, he wanted to make sure everyone liked his designs and approved of him. He needed their acknowledgment, especially his boss’, which led to many long nights, finishing projects he didn’t want for the sake of his promotion.
During his first year, he took on so much that he rarely slept, much less ate. Feng Xin had tried convincing Mu Qing out of it, but Mu Qing didn’t want his boss to look down on him. As a result, one day Feng Xin showed up, yelling at his boss in front of everyone.
Mu Qing should have been embarrassed or furious with his friend. But it was at that moment that Mu Qing realized his intense feelings for his friend were none other than love.
“I’m not. Now enough about me, where’s your next work trip going to be?”
He heard Feng Xin shuffle closer to him with a sigh. “I actually asked to stay here for a while. There’s a lot of paperwork I need to catch up on after that last movie, plus there are some other things I need to take care of here.”
He felt rather than heard Feng Xin’s body moving closer to his as the warmth radiated off his friend. “Like what?” He reflexively shuffled closer to meet Feng Xin in the middle.
“Like helping you build your house.”
Mu Qing snorted as he thoughtlessly moved his head to rest on Feng Xin’s shoulder. “You can do that anytime, it’ll always be here waiting.”
“And will you?” Feng Xin whispered into Mu Qing's hair, much softer than Mu Qing had ever heard. “Will you always be waiting here?”
“Yeah, where else would I go?”
An exasperated sigh reverberated across Mu Qing’s scalp, causing him to shiver. “A-Qing, do you miss me when I leave?”
It had to have been the exhaustion overwhelming him that caused him to rasp out, “Yes, every time.”
“A-Qing.” Feng Xin whispered again, but Mu Qing couldn’t open his eyes, much less speak if he wanted to. Basking in Feng Xin’s warmth was so calming that he could literally fall asleep anywhere. “A-Qing.”
Mu Qing felt his chin being held and turned and as he slowly pried his eyelids open, he discovered that their faces were much closer than they’d ever been. And that Feng Xin’s lips were just a breath away from brushing against his own. Before he could ask what was happening, their door was opened with an abrupt, “Next!”
As a result, Mu Qing fumbled after Feng Xin in a much more awakened state than before. Hua Cheng linked arms with Feng Xin before Mu Qing could grab him and away they went to the food stalls together. While Mu Qing stood in the middle of the path, watching them go.
“Are you okay?” Xie Lian asked in concern as he stood next to Mu Qing. “Are you not feeling well?”
“They can’t really be dating, right?” Mu Qing asked as the painful stab of jealousy pricked him at every step Hua Cheng and Feng Xin took away from Mu Qing. “They have to be faking it like us. Right…?”
“Of course, there’s no other explanation, is there?” Xie Lian nodded as he watched the other two with a similar pained expression. “Right?”
“Right, and we’re going to prove it.” Mu Qing answered with more confidence than he felt at the moment. But he couldn’t just stand to continue playing along with this farce any longer. “This is going to end much sooner than I thought, and I’m going to need your help more than ever.”