Work Text:
Being touch-starved was Cheng Xiaoshi’s nature. He felt unsafe whenever there wasn’t someone to hug him and tell him that everything was alright (spoiler, that person may or may not be Lu Guang). And when that didn’t happen, he would try to touch the person closest to him. Usually, the victim of this act was Lu Guang. Sometimes Cheng Xiaoshi could see his partner sigh and a lot of other times read his annoyed expression. He often asked himself if he was too overbearing because that’s what it seemed to him.
And yet, he couldn’t stop this weird habit of his. Maybe it was because of the lack of human touch in his childhood, or maybe it was something else. He couldn't quite figure it out.
This time was no different as Cheng Xiaoshi decided “screw self-restraint” and put his head on Lu Guang’s lap, earning a scowl from his partner. This only made his insecurity worse. He knew he would have to talk about it sooner or later, after all, he didn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable.
“Hey, Lu Guang,” he mumbled.
The white-haired man paid no attention to him.
“Lu Guang!”
Lu Guang sighed and closed his book.
“What is it?”
“Do you think I’m annoying when I put my head on your lap or try to hug you?”
Lu Guang glanced at Cheng Xiaoshi, looking somewhat in thought, then turned his gaze at the wall.
“You are indeed annoying,” he replied in his usual monotone voice, even though a blush was creeping on his face. Because he was staring at the wall, he couldn’t see the displeased face Cheng Xiaoshi made. “But that doesn’t change the fact that some people don’t really mind it, and like your habit.”
“Oh?” the dark-haired man raised his eyebrows and a big grin splattered across his face. “Are you perhaps one of them?”
Lu Guang’s gaze moved towards the plants, the floor, the book, anywhere really, where he couldn’t see his partner’s face. He tried to think about a way to change the topic.
But Cheng Xiaoshi wasn’t as stupid as everyone usually conceived. He got up from Lu Guang’s lap and got close to his face to the point of their noses almost touching. There was no way the white-haired man could look anywhere else, other than his face.
“Well…” Cheng Xiaoshi whispered, and his partner could swear he could feel his breath on his lips.
Lu Guang pushed his face away and said, slightly annoyed:
“Don’t talk nonsense! Anyway, I’m hungry, I’m going to eat!”
“But we ate just an hour ago!”
Lu Guang completely ignored him and got up from the couch. At a pretty fast pace, he exited the living room.
Cheng Xiaoshi smiled to himself and pulled back. Somewhere in his mind, the first time he and Lu Guang had cuddled played.
It hadn’t been a long time since Lu Guang had moved in with Cheng Xiaoshi, but everything seemed to be going alright. The two of them, despite their differences, were getting along really well.
Both men were sitting on the couch, minding their own business. Lu Guang was reading a book, his eyes scanning each row for something more interesting while Cheng Xiaoshi was scrolling through his phone. Even though there was only silence and nothing else, it didn’t seem awkward or uncomfortable.
Suddenly, Cheng Xiaoshi gasped loudly. Lu Guang looked at him in disbelief.
“Hey Lu Guaaang, we’ve been friends for so long and you still never told me what your favorite cuddling position is,” Cheng Xiaoshi whined. His friend was staring at him like he had just been asked if he ever went on Mars.
“Cuddling position? Why do you need to know that in the first place? If I tell you, what are you going to do with this information?”
“A cuddling position is exactly what it sounds. There are so many different ways to cuddle. Here, look, here are some of them,” Cheng Xiaoshi replied in excitement as he showed Lu Guang the article from his phone. “Also, it’s not like I’m going to bully you, I am not Qiao Ling! I want to know so if you are feeling moody I can comfort you physically. Soooo, which one of them do you like the most?”
“I don’t know, I’ve never actually… cuddled with anyone,” Lu Guang replied in a quiet tone. If there were any other small sounds, he would’ve been completely unheard. “Who have you cuddled with?”
“Well, I still remember some moments when my parents and I cuddled before they just left. And sometimes I used to cuddle Qiao Ling when I was feeling too scared,”
“I’m sorry…”
Cheng Xiaoshi let out a small laugh.“There is nothing to apologize about, how about I show you how good it feels to be cuddled?”
“H-how are you going to show me that?”
“By cuddling you of course,”
“Wait!”
“Don’t you want to be cuddled by me?” Cheng Xiaoshi’s expression dropped.
Lu Guang reverted his gaze from Cheng Xiaoshi. “It’s not that, I guess I’m just not accustomed to physical affection,”
Cheng Xiaoshi looked somewhat dumbfounded, but a second later, that look was replaced by a smirk. He opened his arms and cradled Lu Guang in his arms. The first thing he took notice of when he hugged Lu Guang was how tense the man was. he began rubbing his shoulders until Lu Guang relaxed a bit and then returned the hug.
“You know what, maybe cuddling isn’t that bad,” Lu Guang said as he slid his head where Cheng Xiaoshi’s chest was, feeling his heartbeat and the warmth of his body.
Cheng Xiaoshi let out a small laugh and hugged his friend tighter.
His eyes grew fond while thinking about that amazing memory of his.
"Lu Guaaaang, wait for me!'' He said in his whiny voice. Despite that, he was happy that he didn't make the person who stuck by his side uncomfortable.