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Chapter Text

"Da Bing?"

Tong Yao practically tumbled down the spiral staircase with hands gripping the railings tightly. She ran straight to Da Bing's cat tree to scope the place for her cat.

"Da Bing? Da Bing!" She flung herself besides the fish tank belonging to Lu Si Cheng in search for a prowling white ball of fluff that could be ready to pounce for it's next meal.

"Da Bing! Where did you go?" Her voice raised in alarm. Did Lu Si Cheng finally act on his wish? Did he buy the fly traps meant to gobble her cat up whole just because Da Bing accidentally followed the rules of nature? Or perhaps Si Cheng was in the kitchen, preparing cat meat for dinner...?

Eyes widening, Tong Yao flew into the kitchen where she found Xiao Pang, God Ming, and Lu Si Cheng gathered around the kitchen counter speaking lowly and looking solemn.

"Nooooo!" Tong Yao sprinted in front of them. Her hands spread out on the countertop in front of her. Her eyes were dilated and wildly looking for a bloody chopping board with potential pieces of her cat.

"What's with you?" God Ming raised a brow at her.

"Why do you look so frazzled?" Xiao Pang asked right after.

"Did you come out of a dryer?" Si Cheng eyed her shaggy appearance rigidly.

"It's Da Bing! You didn't chop her up, did you?" She glared pointedly at her captain. "If I taste cat for dinner don't be surprised if we have fish sticks for breakfast tomorrow!"

A fierce gasp was heard coming from Xiao Pang who stared at his leader with utmost audacity. "You didn't! I love Da Bing!"

God Ming merely smirked at the oncoming spectacle.

"Idiots," Si Cheng spoke flatly. "Why would I do that?"

"He's missing!" Tong Yao threw her arms hopelessly. "You're the only answer to this mystery! You've wanted him gone since I entered this basecamp!"

"She got you there," God Ming snickered.

"Or," Si Cheng leaned forward against the counter from where he stood with a gleam in his eye, "That cat finally grew a brain and realized how crazy his owner is and moved into YQCB next door."

Tong Yao's eyes narrowed up at her boyfriend of a few weeks as her arms crossed against her chest.

"Impossible," she frowned.

However, her eyes strayed doubtfully from Si Cheng's mischievous form and between Xiao Pang's and God Ming's curious gazes. She pursed her lips as she made her quick decision. Her hands fumbled for her phone in her pockets and pressed the familiar top contact to call.

"Ji Yang?" Tong Yao spoke into the phone, turning away from the smirking boys around the counter.

"Yao Yao? Strange to hear from you right now. Usually you're spending time with Pretty Boy at this hour."

Tong Yao casted a sideways glare towards Si Cheng. He responded with an innocent, closed-lipped smile.

She rolled her eyes, "I'm mad at him."

"Oh?" There was a teasing lilt to her best friend's tone. "What did he do now?"

"He killed my cat," Tong Yao pouted through the phone.

Si Cheng made a tsk noise and looked at his girl with disapproval. "Don't tell lies. You'll grow shorter."

From her peripherals, she could see Xiao Pang and God Ming disperse into the living room. They were lifting up pillows, looking under coffee tables, and whistling around in hopes to find a lost Da Bing. Si Cheng, on the other hand, was still leaning against the countertop and staring at her, blatantly displaying his displeasure for being dragged into her dishonesty.

"No!" Jin Yang gasped. "He didn't!"

Tong Yao nodded gravely. "That's almost exactly what Xiao Pang said. Da Bing never came when I shook his box of favorite treats."

She can feel the glare of an angry boyfriend burning a thick hole straight through her skull.

"Well, if it helps, I did see Da Bing– or a twin of his– chasing after a pair of rats down the road when I was driving in about ten minutes ago. If anything, you might be able to find him if you search outside right now."

The air trapped in Tong Yao's lungs immediately released at the welcoming news, and a bright smile curled its way onto her lips. "You're the best, Ji Yang!"

"As a queen should be."

Si Cheng's stony facade and bitter glare followed after Tong Yao when she sat down on the kitchen stool in front of him after ending her call.

"Luckily, you didn't kill Da Bing," she beamed up at him as if he had accomplished such a difficult feat. Unfaltering, Si Cheng unceasingly glared at her. She continued, "If we go outside now, we'd have a good chance of finding him."

"What makes you think I'll go outside in the heat to search for that fish eater of yours after your slander about me?" He leaned even closer so that his face was about a few inches away from hers. His elbow propped up against the counter and chin rested atop his tightly clasped hands. His glower remained intact and powerful enough to be the scorching sun itself.

"Because... you love me?" Tong Yao sent him the sweetest of smiles that did nothing to diminish his withering stare.

"Erm, because you absolutely adore me?" She tried again as she fluttered her eyelashes cutely and added a little pout in attempt to win him over. Yet that also did nothing– well, close to nothing if it wasn't for that quick, half-second glimpse down to her lips before meeting her eyes again.

"Because you don't want me to cook all three of your fish, especially your favorite red goldfish, for dinner tonight?" She heard a sharp inhale coming from the man in front of her. Tong Yao congratulated herself for receiving a reaction from him.

Si Cheng slowly lifted himself straight up. With one last glare at her, he called out for Xiao Pang and God Ming to go outside to find the cat that majority of the team grew to adore.

"See?" Tong Yao stood up from her stool to stand on the tips of her toes. She tilted her head upwards to press a soft kiss onto his cheek before he turned to look back down at her. "You do love Da Bing. I bet you secretly cuddle with him after your late-night ranked matches when everyone else is sleeping."

That earned her another meaningful glare.

Lu Si Cheng's large hand slid into her small ones despite the rolling indignation exuding off him, and he pulled her along to follow after their two teammates who were yelling out Da Bing's name and shaking boxes of treats on the street.

Tong Yao and Si Cheng decided to leave God Ming and Xiao Pang to search outside of their home while the couple walked down the road towards YQCB to see if Da Bing made it that far.

"Da Bing! Da Bing!" Tong Yao yelled out, using her free hand to cup around her mouth and her other occupied hand to swing their connected arms. Lu Si Cheng had a box of treats he took from God Ming to bring and shake as he and his girlfriend walked down the street alongside each other. As they walked, their shoulders would bump and create a distance between them until their arms caused them to rebound and bump into one another's sides once more.

"If it wasn't for your absurd personality, maybe your cat wouldn't be so spooked as to leave the house," Lu Si Cheng claimed aloud after a moment of silence and just them enjoying the outdoors.

"Maybe if it wasn't for your scary face and threats to Da Bing, he wouldn't have a need to be so spooked to leave the house," Tong Yao argued back. "Besides, it's my absurd personality that got you falling for me in the first place."

Si Cheng's begrudging pretense broke as a lopsided smile softened his features.

"Your cat clearly doesn't share the same sentiments as me," he smirked.

"No, he loved me first. And way more than you love me, so he can't have any other reason to leave the house but your rude threats."

There was a sharp tug on her arm that pulled her right against him chest-to-chest. They had stopped walking now, and his hands were resting atop her head as if assessing her height. "You're getting shorter now with all the lies you're spouting."

"What lie? It's the truth." Tong Yao angled her neck upwards to face him.

His brow raised. "Provided by what evidence?"

"Da Bing cuddles me more than you do," she released a resentful huff. "He also doesn't tease me as much as you. He sleeps besides me. He keeps me warm when I'm shivering in bed. He also likes being hugged by me and licks my face."

At each passing sentence, Si Cheng's frown grew deeper and deeper until his familiar scowl etched on his face. "Let's go back," he turned around with a scornful expression, "The cat can live in the streets."

"Cheng-ge!" Tong Yao pulled him back by his hand, and surprisingly it wasn't that hard for her to stop him. "No! You promised!"

"There you go making lies again," he glowered, but somehow sounded quite sulky as he allowed his girl to pull him along the street. His mood slightly rose when he felt both her arms hug around his while still holding onto his hand. Lu Si Cheng's mouth quirked in satisfaction.

"Da Bing!" Tong Yao cried out again.

"You're scaring the cat again," Si Cheng stated.

"Well you're not doing anything!"

"I'm shaking the treat box," he shook it loudly for good measure.

At that, the bush besides them rustled and shook. Tong Yao shrieked just slightly and jumped back behind Si Cheng at the sudden movement. Si Cheng stared pointedly at Tong Yao before eyeing the white fluff of tangled fur coming out from underneath the bush. It pawed its way towards Si Cheng who was holding the box of treats.

"Da Bing!" Tong Yao sighed in relief as she picked up her cat off the ground and into her arms. Da Bing meowed ruefully after being fed a single treat by Si Cheng.

"You're safe! I'll give you extra cuddles, food, blankets, and love. Okay? So you won't ever run away again. Don't worry Da Bing, you'll always be my priority. Let's go give you a nice bath."

She continued to mumble white promises and sweet nothings into her cat's ears. Lu Si Cheng followed behind with now empty hands stuffed into his jean pockets and a spiteful twist in his facial features.

"Poor Cheng-ge," Xiao Pang teased besides him when they passed him and God Ming. "Jealousy looks really scary on you. No wonder the cat ran away."

A swift glare shot straight towards Si Cheng's support player. Xiao Pang chuckled nervously, but a small smile crept up his lips when his leader utilized his long legs to stride ahead of him and follow after Tong Yao who had entered into their home.

"I think the cat will cause a problem in their relationship," God Ming observed as he stopped next to Xiao Pang in front of their home.

"Ya think?" He snorted.

"Tonight will be interesting," the gaming coach smiled at the possibilities of what could happen between Lu Si Cheng, Da Bing, and Tong Yao. "Our gracious, stone-faced AD and captain, Lu Si Cheng, versus our mid's spoilt fat cat, Da Bing, fighting for our adorable mid's generous love."

Xiao Pang shook his head. "Whatever happens, I don't want to see it," he raised his hands in surrender, "I've seen too much."

God Ming let loose a warm laugh as they both followed through the door, preparing themselves for the onslaught of a love triangle awaiting inside their basecamp.

Chapter Text

"Da Bing, what would you like for dinner?" Two sets of food were ardently placed on the floor by none other than Tong Yao. "It's either your favorite wet food—" she pointed to the canned cat food "—or your favorite dry food." She pointed to the bag.

The white cat assessed both. First at the can then at the bag for a good, equally long moment before immediately losing interest. His attention was placed back to licking his paws while sitting so poised with his long tail flicking up behind him.

"Your cat won't listen to you," Lus Si Cheng contended. Tong Yao shot a dirty look in his direction. He was sitting on their white couch watching his girlfriend coddle the feeble, furry creature instead of him.

"Don't you have ranked matches to be playing?" She combed through Da Bing's fur with her fingers. "Also, have I ever mentioned to you that I'm a higher rank than you now? Maybe you should work harder to catch up." She hummed delightfully at that fact. She had Lu Yue to thank for Si Cheng's demotion. If it wasn't for his younger brother's antics and tendency to play on his teammates' accounts, Si Cheng's rank wouldn't have suffered a loss.

A cold sneer began to engrain on his features. "I'll make sure he'll be replaced."

The sound of an amused laugh escaping Tong Yao's pretty lips was enough to placate him. Though, his malevolence wasn't completely wiped away. He had an envious look directed towards the cat that was being pet by the same hands of the girl that he held just hours before when looking for that fish-eating imbecile.

"I'll give you your favorite wet food, okay Da Bing?" Tong Yao lifted her cat from his underarms to peck his wet nose with a small, exaggerated kiss.

Si Cheng scoffed and looked away to glare at his own fist.

Da Bing meowed and licked her cheek.

While on the other side of the room, two men were peeking past the entrance to watch the debacle crescending.

"Did she just say her rank is higher than his?" Xiao Pang whispered loud enough for God Ming to hear but not enough for the couple who were meters away from them to catch it.

God Ming nodded vigorously. "Yes. She's not wrong either. I saw it during last night's assessment with Xiao Rui."

Xiao Pang slapped a quiet hand over his gaping mouth. "The world is ending!"

"What are you fools doing?" The two ZGDX members jumped at the sudden extra voice from behind them.

Xiao Pang deliberately turned around on the balls of his feet only to flinch at the view. "What are you doing?"

It wasn't an unusual sight to see Lao K's face all decked out in a black face mask with hands sleek from various lotions and products. However, it was still a shock for Xiao Pang whenever he'd turn around just to see his teammate undergoing a whole spa routine in his gaming chair.

Lao K shrugged as he patted his moist face mask. "Looking after myself. Now, answer my question."

God Ming nodded towards their two Onmyoji carries. "There's a war going on."

"Hmm?" Lao K stretched his neck to see past their heads. He laid eyes on his captain frowning at the cat in Tong Yao's arms. His fingers were tapping impatiently on his leg. The other hand was fisted into the pockets of his bomber jacket, discreetly pulling out a wrapped lollipop.

"Oh." Lao K shook his head at his two snooping teammates. "Everyone here. Always so nosey." With that, he left the two at their affairs as he rubbed the rest of his lotion over his wrists and forearms.

The sound of a candy wrapper tearing caught everyone's attention. Especially Tong Yao's. Her head had snapped towards Si Cheng with an accusing glare, "You! You said no ca—"

She cut herself off as her eyes drifted from Si Cheng's stiff form to the wall where two heads belonging to God Ming and Xiao Pang were peeking out from.

"Erm...." Tong Yao blinked dubiously at her two teammates.

Si Cheng twisted himself to follow Tong Yao's gaze. He laid eyes on the two men and raised his own questioning brow at them, which looked quite threatening on Xiao Pang's and God Ming's end.

"Uhh... we were just passing through," Xiao Pang laughed nervously.

"Yeah, we'll be off now." God Ming nodded at the both of them before ushering Xiao Pang out towards the gaming table, "Let's go, let's go."

Lu Si Cheng, Tong Yao, and Da Bing were now alone in their private bubble of war and conflict.

Tong Yao stood up, gently setting down Da Bing, to snatch the candy from Si Cheng's fingers as he was distracted watching the two men leave. Unfortunately for her, her retraction was too slow and Si Cheng's quick reflexes were able to grab the lollipop back– along with his girlfriend's hand. His dopey smile illuminated his face when his fingers wrapped around hers.

"Let go!" She tugged.

"No." His grip tightened.

"Lu Si Cheng!" She struggled to release her fingers from his iron grip.

"No." His lips quirked as he tugged her closer until she was standing between his legs.

"Let me go! I need to feed Da Bing!"

That name provoked Si Cheng to pull just roughly enough on her hand so she'd fall onto the cushioned space right beside him. Tong Yao's legs were bent over his thigh as she laid on her side just a hair's width away from his warm body. Her eyes widened fully at their close proximity. Her face was resting on the couch's back cushion and was inches close to the face of her leader. Shyly, her eyes shook right and left as if contemplating which of his eyes to look at.

Meanwhile, his eyes had fallen to her full, pink lips like it was a magnet. He met with her eyes again. "You can feed me first."

Si Cheng leaned forward, eyes dropping back to her lips as the distance between them decreased ever so slowly. He felt the wam, soft puffs from her as their noses brushed against each other. He was about to finally close the distance between them and kiss her wholeheartedly until claws abruptly gripped the skin of his legs and hooked into his shin.

"Ow! Shit!" Si Cheng growled. His neck twisted and whiplashed from his girlfriend's shocked face to the little devil clinging onto his legs.

"Da Bing!" Tong Yao pouted. She leaned down from her position to help un-claw her cat from Si Cheng before he decided to throw him out the window. She chastised her cat, "Don't do that to him! You know what he's like. And you," she pointed at her boyfriend, "Don't curse at Da Bing! He's sensitive!"

Si Cheng's eyes clenched tightly. He exhaled deeply before removing her legs off his thighs and standing up– taking the forgotten lollipop with him and hiding it in his fists.

"Where are you going?" Tong Yao called after him from the couch with Da Bing.

"Playing ranked." He retorted before turning a corner towards the gaming table.

Tong Yao returned her attention to her cat. "Don't worry about him. He's just disappointed you interrupted our moment."

Da Bing purred contentedly.

~~~

"Go, go, go!"

"Oh fuck, it's an ambush!"

"Lao K, come here!"

"I'm not your personal butler, Lao Mao."

"Run! Retreat!"

"Go for the kill!"

"Yes! Yes!"

"Their economy is weak!"

"Focus on the tower, Tong Yao!"

"Stop farming! The economic gap is big enough already!"

"What the hell? He came out of nowhere!"

"Aim for the Nexus!"

"NICEE!!!"

Everyone cheered and shared high-fives with one another– except for Lu Si Cheng who was silent on his seat. Or rather, more silent than usual.

"Last five-stack for tonight?" Tong Yao asked the collective as she hovered her mouse over the PLAY button.

Lao Mao nodded enthusiastically. "Yep! We've been on a winning streak! It's a good day."

"If it wasn't for our leader, we wouldn't be winning so easily today." Lao K glanced perceptively at Si Cheng's impassive figure.

"Or it could be Da Bing," Xiao Pang shared a look with Lao K. "He's been curled up on our mid's lap during all our matches. Maybe we've found our lucky charm."

If anyone had been watching Si Cheng's hand, they would've seen him nearly squeezing his gaming mouse into smithereens.

"Yeah! Da Bing should join us during championship matches," Lao Mao suggested, oblivious to how his teammates were knowingly staring at Lu Si Cheng.

In the next match they played, ZGDX's AD was already on fire ten minutes into the game, and his kill streak was the only thing that echoed throughout everyone's headsets:

"Double kill!"

"Triple kill!"

"Quadruple kill!"

"Quintuple kill!"

Lao Mao gaped at his computer screen. "Our leader is amazing! From this moment on, I'll bow down and kiss the floor wherever you walk."

"We're just against lower ranked players," Tong Yao stated. She frowned when she looked at the stats on the scoreboard. According to the kill-death ratios on the scoreboard, the only ones who had kills so far were Chessman with six, K with one, and Smiling also with one kill. She was happy for the team to be able to get so many of their enemies in just a few minutes, but her assertive self wanted to catch up to Si Cheng and wanted a few kills of her own too.

"Cheng-ge, do you think you can save some last hits for me?" Tong Yao asked through the mic. She used her ultimate to attack the two oncoming enemies on her lane. Yet, Si Cheng had caught up to her on her lane, using his basic attacks to steal her last hits and kills. "Hey!"

Si Cheng's lips twitched as he returned back to his bottom lane.

"Did you come all the way to my lane just to steal my kills? You absolute pig," she scowled at her screen. "What if the rest of their team was pushing bottom lane and you weren't there?"

"I have Xiao Pang there," was all he said.

"Don't drag me into this, I'm just the support," Xiao Pang's voice spoke into the headset. Then he sputtered, "Wait—Cheng-ge, were you really just going to leave me alone and let me die if that did happen?"

"You won't die. Your item build is stronger and tankier than theirs."

"Gee thanks. Glad to know my leader has my back."

"You're my support," Si Cheng said impassively. "It's the other way around."

Lao Mao, Lao K, and Tong Yao either smiled or huffed a laugh. They continued to focus on the game, making comments here and there until their monitors shared the same VICTORY! Screen.

"We did it!" Tong Yao triumphantly threw her fists into the air.

"Midnight snacks on me!" Xiao Pang stood up from his seat to get his phone that was charging on the kitchen counter.

Tong Yao smiled from her seat at everyone who followed Xiao Pang into the kitchen. Even Lu Yue, who had been resting in his room upstairs, had rushed down the stairs when he heard the clamor. "Order snacks for me too!" He ran straight into the kitchen.

Tong Yao and Si Cheng were the only remaining ones on their gaming table. Si Cheng had already started solo queuing into another quick match, brooding silently in his seat. Next to him, Tong Yao had backed up from the table and used her hands to carry a drowsy Da Bing by his underarms.

"Are you tired Da Bing?" Tong Yao puckered her lips to make a kissy face at the cat.

Besides her, Si Cheng's stiff self tensed at the noise he heard from outside of his headset. She was too fixated on her cat in front of her to notice. "Cheng-ge, I think Da Bing's good luck energy had tired him out."

"Put him in his cat playground and don't bother him," he responded curtly. "Then play duos with me after this match."

"But I promised Da Bing that I'll tuck him in and put him to sleep upstairs," Tong Yao hugged her cat close to her chest.

"Is he a child or a cat? It's not necessary to do all that."

"It's necessary for me," she stood up with the white fluff curled up in her arms. "Come here, Da Bing. Let's go upstairs and leave Cheng-ge to sulk."

"No one's sulking." Si Cheng's lips curled into a sneer as she climbed up the stairs.

~~~

Tong Yao lifted the covers of her bed, inserting a half-asleep cat underneath her sheets and resting atop her extra pillow. Da Bing's body vibrated as he purred lowly under the warmth of the blanket.

"You warm now?" She pressed a kiss against the top of his head. "My room is a bit chilly, sorry about that."

She was about to slip into the spot beside Da Bing when she heard the soft sound of a knock right before her door immediately opened. Tong Yao looked to see who the intruder was, only to grin expectantly to herself when Lu Si Cheng slipped easily between the small crack of the door as if he had done it all his life.

"What are you doing here?" She whispered.

"What's the use of whispering?" Si Cheng had asked at a normal volume as he walked to the right side of her bed where Da Bing was hiding under the blankets.

"Shhhh!" She shushed him right when he flipped a corner of the blanket to slip himself underneath it. But he couldn't as he had froze at the sight before him.

"What the—"

"He's sleeping!" Tong Yao hissed under her breath. She crawled over the mattress to take the blanket from his grasp to re-cover Da Bing.

"Is this really all necessary?" He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as his features held a flat gaze at her.

"Of Course! Then there'll be no reason for him to run away," she crossed her arms against her chest. "So, if you move him from here and he runs away the next day, it proves that it was you all along that he wanted to get away from."

"Because I moved him from your bed?" He asked almost incredulously.

She nodded, "Da Bing gets a bit touchy with that sometimes."

Si Cheng's lips flattened as he pursed them in disbelief. He glared at the curled-up cat. Irritation had crossed over his features just briefly until he looked back up at his busy girlfriend who was attempting to get into her bed without bouncing the mattress too much.

An idea flew by his brain, and a mischievous smirk suddenly tilted the corners of his lips. He walked around the foot of the bed before standing in front of her.

"What?" She eyed him weirdly after opening her eyes to see what the shuffling was about. "Why are you smiling like a creep?"

"Move over," he replied.

"Huh? Move where?"

"Roll closer to your fish-eater."

She gasped quietly at the name. "His name is Da Bing. Say it. I don't think you ever said his name before."

"No." He smirked.

Seeing that Tong Yao wasn't moving over anytime soon, he took it upon himself to crawl into the small space next to her until he was practically half laying and half sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Cheng-ge, what are you doing?!" She hissed at him, moving over towards the center of the bed in courtesy while being mindful of Da Bing so she wouldn't accidentally squish him.

"Laying down."

"No! Go away!"

"No."

"There's no room!"

"There is. I bought a big bed for you for a reason."

"Lu Si Cheng!"

"Hmm?"

They were now laying on their sides and facing each other. Their limbs were lost and tangled, holding Si Cheng in place so he wouldn't be falling down the edge of her bed. Her eyes were wide as she stared up at Si Cheng who just barged his way into her room, then into her bed, and lastly into her heart where it was pounding consecutively at their close proximity.

And if she had to guess with the way her hands had been resting against his clothed chest, his heart is beating just as erratically as hers.

He appeared calm, but if Tong Yao looked close enough, she could see the hidden expression in his eyes looking as if he had won a prized trophy. Their faces were so close that Tong Yao could count all the gold flecks that sparkled in his brown eyes. She would spend all day counting those flecks if she could.

"Stop staring at me," Si Cheng broke the silence.

Her nose scrunched. "You started it."

His chest reverberated under her hand as he hummed a response.

"So what are you doing?" She looked up from under her lashes. "There's no way you can be comfortable when we're squished like this."

"I'll get used to it. How else would I get used to our child crawling into our bed during their toddler years?"

Tong Yao gasped. His bluntness manages to surprise her every time. She slapped his chest before hiding her reddening face in her pillow in embarrassment.

Si Cheng's lips quirked into a small smile. She was cute. He arched himself closer to her and further away from the bed's edge. If he could, he would be able to rest his chin atop her head and tuck her by his chest if their arms weren't in the way.

"Why are you here anyway? I thought you're playing a match?"

"Lu Yue is playing for me."

She leaned away to look him in the eye, "You mean the same man who lowered your rank below mine?"

"Would you stop phrasing it like that?" He frowned.

She grinned and repeated his favorite word, "No."

He closed his eyes to rest as he sighed. "I can catch up to you easily regardless."

"If you say so." Her attention dropped to his hands that were resting between them and she brought her own to toy with his fingers. "You didn't answer my first question."

"What question?" His mind had blanked when feeling the soft skin against his rough one.

"Why are you here? In my room? In my bed? Like this? With Da Bing right here?"

Habitually, he sneered at the name.

"See! There you go again being rude at my cat! What did he ever do to you?" She scowled at him, nevertheless, continued fiddling with his fingers.

"He did a lot today."

"Like?" She prompted.

"Like steal you away from me."

Her lips parted in surprise, "He did not!"

He glared, "You're not as self-aware as you make yourself out to be."

"Give some examples then."

"Think about it yourself," Si Cheng was about to flip around to face the other side, only to remember that he was laying by the edge and their legs were tangled amongst each other to keep each other as a hook from falling off. So instead, he remained on his back to stare at the ceiling ahead of him.

Tong Yao remained silent for a moment. "Ok so maybe I've been pampering Da Bing too much today."

"And?"

"And I'm sure I didn't forget about you! He didn't steal me away entirely..."

He scowled at the ceiling in disagreement.

"I didn't ignore you when we were five-stacking with the team," she pointed out.

He shot a sideways glare at her, but she swore his lips turned into a little pout.

"I couldn't ignore you anyway when you keep invading my lane every two minutes to steal all my kills and minions," her eyes pierced into his glare. "The public will think we're having a row. 'Breaking news, Chessman and Smiling have broken up and started targeting each other in every game. What will happen to ZGDX? Who will be the next girl that would replace Smiling as his—'oomf!"

Her voice left her when she felt soft lips pressing firmly against hers along with the sweet aroma of expensive cologne and shampoo clouding her senses.

"Be quiet," Si Cheng murmured against her lips, "Da Bing is sleeping."

Tong Yao blinked as he kissed her once again, but then pulled away from him much to his exasperation, "You said his name!"

"Who?" His face followed after hers, but she kept leaning away from his hunt.

"Da Bing," she strained to say when she was leaning too far back, feeling the warmth of her cat against her back. However, she felt hands slide around her waist and pull her forward until she was exactly nose-to-nose with a smirking Lu Si Cheng. Her eyes nearly crossed when meeting his, and they stayed in that close position for a few seconds too long.

"Um, hello," Tong Yao awkwardly mumbled when nothing was happening but a staring contest.

"Hi," he whispered before tilting his head and closing the distance to lock lips with his girlfriend once again.

"Are you happy now?" Tong Yao made a face at him once they broke away for air. "Do you still feel deprived of me?"

"Yes. And yes." Si Cheng rolled over so he was halfway on top of her, pressing his body against hers. She responded into his passionate kiss, letting a little gasp escape her when he began peppering kisses down her jawline and towards her neck. She wrapped her arms around him, pressing herself against him as her chest rose and fell laboriously. She was about to push him away and lead him back towards her lips when he suddenly collapsed on her with a pained grunt, his face pressed against the side of her neck. The air nearly knocked out of her.

"Cheng-ge?" Tong Yao asked, concerned.

A meow was heard above her. Her gaze rose towards the cat who was now pawing his way around Si Cheng's shoulders and curling into a large ball.

"Aww, Da Bing!" She giggled much to Si Cheng's dismay. He sighed against her. "Look, he's sleeping on your back."

"I can feel that." He sounded miffed in her ears.

"Don't be so upset," Tong Yao placed her fingers into his hair and combed it gently through his scalp. "Weren't you the one who said we should get used to having a child crawling over us?"

Despite the silence, she knew he was glaring into her neck. "He clawed my back. Shouldn't you be worried for me?"

"You let Lu Yue play on your account. If anything, a little scratch is nothing."

Tong Yao let out a little yelp when she felt teeth nip the nape of her neck, removing her hand from his hair to slap him upside the head.

"Why'd you bite me?"

"You need to be disciplined," he breathed against her ear. His warm breath caused her to fluster.

"Okay, get off now," Tong Yao nudged his leg with her own.

She felt him shake his head, "No. I like this position. Even if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to move anyway."

For the first time today, she glared at Da Bing who remained sleeping obliviously on his back. "You're a thug."

"You're the one dating this thug." She felt his smirk against the skin of her neck.

They continued to cling onto each other silently, unable to move with Da Bing sandwiching them. It wasn't as if they were complaining though.

"Your hand," he suddenly said albeit a bit drowsily.

"Huh?"

Si Cheng used a free arm to bring her hand back onto his hair. She laughed softly at that, resuming the way she had earlier combed through his locks of hair and massaged his scalp.

Tong Yao listened as his breathing leveled and his small huffs turned into soft snores. She felt the way his lashes fluttered against her neck and the way his weight seemed to slightly shift to the side after a while when her breathing became a little bit harsh from being crushed by two beings. It was as if Si Cheng's body was tuned into hers even in his sleep since he had leaned his weight towards the side and onto his arm that had aided in propping himself up when he was kissing her earlier.

Amidst the soft breaths, rhythmic movement of his chest expanding at each breath, and the familiar beating of his heart against hers, Tong Yao found herself slowly submersing herself into slumber.

It was as if Si Cheng and Da Bing weren't just fighting for the girl who played an important role in both of their lives. Oh what a scandal it would be for their teammates to find their leader cuddling their mid with her cat laying right on top of him.

All was well.

For the most part.