Work Text:
What did Mondays mean to Sicheng? Mondays were days to feel awful? To feel good? For Sicheng, Mondays were beautiful occasions, after two days he could see again the boy that he had been observing in special detail for a long time: Qian Kun. The short boy who captured his attention was not someone he would come across any day, he was like a beautiful angel fallen from heaven, he loved to analyze his face without the other noticing. Kun's eyes were like a galaxy to Sicheng. Another thing he loved about him was his voice, his sweet and angelic voice. Maybe the older was one of the reasons for Sicheng to specialize in the arts too, maybe just a push, maybe.
Sicheng would not manage to stay in the shade all the time, the times when Kun seemed to know of his existence he would smile so sweetly, Kun was known to be kind and charming, and although shame consumed him when they exchanged glances, the happiness he felt was compared to nothing. No matter how happy he felt, shame ended up dominating him and that led him to look for the right moment to flee in the most discreet way possible. Because Sicheng could never get close to Kun, he would not because he is not capable, because he is shy, because he is insecure, because he is just one more boy on this planet next to someone as fantastic as Kun is.
The occasions he had chatted with Qian were few, he was always afraid of the same thing, that he looked weird, that he saw him in a strange way, he was always afraid. Although Sicheng couldn't get any closer to Kun, he was fine with just seeing him, it made him happy.
Today would not be the exception, another typical Monday, of another typical week, of another typical month, of another typical year, God, it could go on like that for a while.
The alarm on his cell phone was a song by an idol group that had caught his attention lately, a very pleasant tune to Sicheng's ear.
Nothing interesting could be found on the journey from the apartment where Sicheng lived to his school. Even meeting fellow students from the university, among them Kun, could become routine, to his bad and good luck Sicheng would arrive at the bus stop when Qian was already gone. He was afraid to run into him because his insecurities would cause him to wish the earth would swallow him up, but boy what would he do to know that Kun was always okay and smiling.
He didn't think about it much, it was routine and he was used to it, wasn't he? Well, maybe destiny today wanted to challenge Sicheng and break his routine for a while. That was decided the moment Kun arrived a few minutes late at the stop and was forced to take the bus that followed the one he usually took.
Sicheng kept the rhythm of his daily life well, sometimes he found it entertaining seeing the people getting on the bus behind him, when he could see them discreetly sitting and occupying a place, the rest of the time he didn't care. Seeing Kun moving down the aisle of the bus had caught his attention, at that moment he did not know if he wanted to disappear by magic or continue to admire him, but he was betting more on the first option, since Kun had decided to sit next to him. It would be one of the very rare times that this would happen, since then he began to understand Kun's routine a little, or at least he could better notice the alterations in the older man's routine when situations like these happened.
...
“Jaehyun! I’m glad that I see you.” Sicheng and Jaehyun weren't exactly the closest of friends, but they were fond of each other. “The place of today's exam changed, now it will be in the philosophy room.” Sicheng spoke very calmly, there was no rush to chase him.
“Okay, thanks.” Jaehyun answered.
"By the way." He stopped for a second. "Kun came with you?" Sicheng knew thanks to Jaehyun himself that they were housemates, the two of them and some other tenants, whose identities he didn't know. He also knew that Kun sometimes came to college with one of his classmates. It was not difficult for him to obtain that information, he did not even ask for it, everything he knew he could see in the normal rhythm of his days.
“Huh? He didn't come with me, but he's surely coming today because like us he also has an exam.” Jaehyun kept thinking, as if he was sure of the information he was giving and at the same time not.
"I see ... Then see you at the exam." Sicheng smiled as he said goodbye to Jaehyun with a slight bow.
...
Sicheng's day passed normally, or at least with the rhythm with which his days used to pass. Occasionally he could meet Kun on his way, allowing only to admire from afar, Sicheng used to be very busy going from one place to another. That is to say, Sicheng was never busy with school, but if he wanted to mention a disadvantage, it was definitely that the classrooms he had to go to were far apart from each other, which is why the walk and the time it took sometimes kept him buzzing.
Sicheng was not terrible with his studies, but he was not particularly the best either, in some exams he could perform well and the one he had just presented would be one of them. At last it was time to go home, to return to the everyday that seemed to be his only and faithful company. The same routine must have had enough and so he led Sicheng to meet Kun when leaving his last class.
He didn't know if it was because of his contact with JaeHyun, but lately Kun seemed interested in getting closer to him. They talked more, when Kun saw him he looked for the opportunity to get closer to him, among other things that Sicheng used to avoid due to the nerve that consumed him.
"Sicheng," Kun still remembered his name. Qian made a gesture with his hand, inviting Sicheng to get closer to him, the appointed one had no other choice but to pay attention. Sicheng praised his beauty when he saw him closer, while hoping that some part of his body would not betray him and cause him some ridiculous scene. “Are you free today this afternoon?
"Uh ..." Sicheng stopped to think, there wasn't anything to think about actually, what was wrong with him? "I'm pretty free."
“Today some friends of mine will make a performance in a restaurant,” he began to deduce that Kun was inviting him to an outing right now “if you accompany me I know you will like them, they are really good.”
“Surely yes.” Sicheng cut off his words suddenly, for obvious reasons he was not going to decline at the invitation, the part of his body that failed him seemed to be his brain because he was not fully processing his words. “Sure, I'll go with you.” Very well done, Sicheng! You got a date with the guy who has stolen your gaze and sighs for months, what would you like to eat at your wedding? It was repeated in his mind as a scolding.
“Do you need to leave or take something from your locker?” After a few seconds Sicheng understood the question and denied, looking at the ground. Kun sat up next to the one who was shyly smiling and began to walk, hoping and succeeding in getting him to follow him.
Between one of the many times Sicheng looked down, he saw Kun's free hand. He wanted to take it immediately and intertwine their fingers, but as much as he wanted to, he wouldn't be able to, couldn't and shouldn't.
If this was just a dream, his imagination was playing nicely with it. Whether it was or not, Sicheng would try to enjoy it as much as possible.
...
The place was really nice, the atmosphere was bathed by lamps that emitted a soft and warm light. The restaurant could be described in a rustic style, the walls were made of wood, plants hung on them and the artificial light predominated over the natural light, which by this point of the day began to fade and melt into the darkness before the threatening arrival of night. Sicheng and Kun were sitting at a table quite close to the stage, from there they had a better view of the performance of the trio of girls. Kun was not lying when he spoke about the great talent of them, he must have known them through college, Kun was specializing in singing and vocal stuff that Sicheng preferred to avoid.
In his mind the last interaction he would imagine having with Kun would be this, the two of them eating in a well-set restaurant with nice music for company. Sicheng preferred to call this a date to give himself the luxury of feeling even a little bit of happiness and progress with the one who has invaded his mind and heart.
“God, it's getting late, it's almost nine at night, don't you want to go now?” Kun lied a little, it was about half an hour before he gave the time he announced, but it did not matter when the exterior gradually looked darker as the minutes passed. Sicheng was not a fan of coming home late, what difference did it make if he was spending the hours of his monotonous day with Qian Kun. “Do you live far away?” Sicheng denied.
“My building is very close to here.” If anything good had happened during the time they had been chatting here, it's that Sicheng had gained confidence in his speech. He was also surprised that he never found out that this restaurant was pretty close to where he lives. That confirmed the existence of the comfort zone in which he did not keep track of the time he had spent there. “You must live much further away.”
“It does not matter.” Kun made very adorable expressions that, if he hadn't taken this step of approach with him, Sicheng would never have noticed. "I'll walk you to your apartment." Kun was preparing to leave his seat, it had been a long time since they finished eating, the last hour had been occupied to chat about their lives and listen to the presentation of the trio. Sicheng believed to have been a person who contributed good things in some past life because he couldn't believe that he deserved to spend time with a boy as cute as Kun.
Kun said that he would pay the bill, made as an excuse because he had invited him, Sicheng continued to refuse to accept such a decision from Kun. Finally they divided and paid the bill between them, before leaving Kun said goodbye to the girls waving his hand when one of their songs ended, Sicheng only gave a little bow and smiled, to which the girls also smiled and said goodbye in the same way as Kun.
The walk was very silent, it was not a totally uncomfortable silence, if not one that was perfect to appreciate the night sky that little by little filled empty spaces in its immensity with the glare of the stars. That reminded him a bit of Kun and the effect it had on his life.
“Thanks for the invitation, Kun. It's late, go home carefully.” They were at the entrance of the building where Sicheng lived. Kun shook his head and dragged Sicheng with him into the building.
“I can accompany you to the door of your apartment.” Kun insisted.
Sicheng entered a dilemma over whether to refuse or allow it, his actions made the decision for him because he was already leading Kun up the stairs and hallways to his apartment.
"Thanks again, see you later, Kun." Sicheng stopped in front of his door and looked directly at Kun. After saying goodbye, he gave a little bow and turned to open the door, assuming Kun would leave by now.
“You are very naive, don't you think?” He had just inserted the key into the lock on his door, which Kun said caught his attention and he turned to look at him. Kun must have changed his expression when Sicheng turned his back on him, because he looked slightly flirtier now and that wasn't helping Sicheng.
“I don’t know what you mean.” Just moments later he noticed that in what he had said there was also naivety, this caused laughter in Kun and embarrassment in Sicheng. “Okay, I may be naive, but I still don't know what you're talking about.”
“You're cute.”
This was definitely a dream, there was no question, maybe he fell asleep during his last class. If he listened to the characteristic laugh of his teacher, he would be confirming his theories. The conspiratorial Sicheng had concentrated so much on giving an explanation to what he was experiencing that only Kun could notice the boy's lost expression.
“Kun, pinch me please.” Sicheng extended his arm, willing to do whatever it took to get back to what he believed was the reality of things, clinging to the idea of the lack of credibility of the situation.
“No one is dreaming, Sicheng.” An alert of all shades of red flooded Sicheng's mind as Kun dangerously approached him and took one of his cheeks in his hand, caressing it carefully and as if it were some fragile material.
Sicheng unmistakably looked happy, even Kun could tell. He had accepted that it was real, that Qian Kun himself was flirting with him right outside his apartment. That's when the chill of the night hit him and he thought about how inconsiderate he was being by staying outside. Although Sicheng kept insisting that it was late and he should go home, Kun was only looking for excuses to spend more time with him, Sicheng had no choice but to invite his companion into his moderately messy little home. While they were both inside the apartment, Sicheng quietly closed the door, despite feeling happy, he felt the nervousness eat him alive.
Only a few seconds were enough for Sicheng's expression to change from one of insecurity to one of surprise, as soon as the minor had turned the other way, Kun pulled him by the arm with agility and care, while directing him to the side from the window of what is supposed to be the living room, in which Sicheng had forgotten to close his window blinds and therefore the light that the moon reflected dimly illuminated the house. Kun took Sicheng's face between his hands with a soft and tender touch, returning to the idea that everything was the product of a dream, Sicheng believed that this was the best dream he could be having. Sicheng was lost in the older man's gaze, the best comparison for his eyes was a galaxy, he did not notice or care how long he was lost in his gaze, he only knew that every moment he was living now enchanted him.
"Your eyes shine brighter now." Kun's tone was soft, both men could feel the tranquility that flooded the environment. "They go well with the moonlight." Sicheng didn’t feel capable of formulating a coherent sentence and Kun understood it perfectly, showing that adorable smile that Sicheng appreciated seeing.
Kun slowly brought his face closer to the youngest, Sicheng could only close his eyes and squeeze them waiting for the moment to come or for the dream to end, whichever came first. Without doubting his actions, it was Sicheng who took the first step by pressing his lips against Kun’s in a small kiss, a tender and honest one, where the only thing that was really transmitted was mutual affection. Eventually they both got used to the kiss and kept it without changing the rhythm, Sicheng was already more relaxed, his eyes no longer squeezed tightly, he was letting himself be carried away by the peace of the moment.
Both men were gasping for breath despite the slowness of the kiss, as soon as they parted Sicheng suddenly forgot the trust that existed between them a few moments ago and sadly covered his face with his hands. Even in that position, he escaped Kun's grasp and went directly to lie on his sofa, he had never been like this with someone and everything he felt right now was inexplicable. Kun followed in the Sicheng’s footsteps without concern and as soon as he noticed that he was curled up into a ball, he couldn't help but smile and lie down next to him, hugging him from behind.
“You must have had a tiring day, you need to rest.” Kun's voice really gave off confidence and brought him to a state of relaxation, Sicheng would never get tired of listening to it. "Do you mind if I stay tonight, little light?"
Sicheng turned around facing Kun, they both made eye contact and when Sicheng looked away he denied, feeling again how shame consumed him alive. The fact that Kun had already given him a nickname made a sea of emotions run through his stomach.
“Why the nickname?” His voice trailed off and was lower than usual.
“Because you shine a lot for me, you are the light that illuminates my cloudy days.” Kun showed the first sign of embarrassment since the beginning of their flirtation. "I know, pretty corny." Kun smiled and Sicheng couldn't help but do the same.
“Don't you want some sleepwear?” Despite starting to gain just a little more confidence, Sicheng's voice kept getting cut off. Kun made a very slow shake of his head in denial.
“I'm already comfortable so I don't want to move.” He pulled his own body closer to Sicheng, hugging him gently and getting a warm and comfortable feeling for both of them. "Good night." Kun left a kiss on Sicheng's forehead with clear signs of weariness.
“Good night, Kun.” Sicheng was also very comfortable and he was not going to ruin that just to change his clothes, he would have time to wash them, right now he wanted to concentrate on closing his eyes and getting some sleep.
“From tomorrow you will have time to think of a nickname for me.” Sicheng was left with a smile on his face.
Tomorrow would not be a typical Tuesday of another typical week of another typical month of another typical year, no.