Work Text:
“I want you to meet the person I like,” Zhang Zhehan says one night after dinner, as he washes the dishes and Gong Jun wipes down the dining table.
“What, all of a sudden?” Gong Jun exclaims, startled. Zhehan did briefly mention liking someone in the past, but it isn’t a topic they discuss frequently, and Gong Jun didn’t even know Zhehan still liked said person. “Where is this coming from?”
“It’s not all of a sudden! I’ve been thinking about this for quite some time already, and it’s not getting out of my head. I’m going to order some dinner for us tomorrow and then bring them here after work, okay?”
“Tomorrow?!” Gong Jun practically cries out. “That’s such short notice! What if I wanted to clean up the house a bit beforehand or what if I have a lot of work tomorrow? You couldn’t have given me more of a heads up?”
Zhehan puts away the last of their clean plates and closes the faucet, drying his hands on the towel at the edge of the sink. “Junjun, you already keep the house super clean. And you literally told me last week that you just finished a major project and your manager is out on vacation. You’re literally chilling these two weeks.” He tsk’s. “You can’t get out of this one, okay? I’m giving you a short notice so that you can’t back out. I really want you to meet them.”
Zhehan turns around to look at Gong Jun, and with those big bright eyes and soft smile, Zhehan has Gong Jun sighing in defeat.
“Fine,” he says, dejectedly. “Okay.”
“Great!” Zhehan exclaims right away, grinning in excitement and anticipation.
Gong Jun cannot relate.
–––
Gong Jun can’t stop thinking about the impending dinner and is thankful that his workload is practically nonexistent the next day. He didn’t really get to process what Zhehan had said the night before, but now that he’s less startled and more awake, he decides that he really should back out of Zhehan’s scheme this time. The only excuse he can think of, though, is to tell Zhehan that his workload increased last minute. It’s a terrible solution and he feels guilty just thinking about even lying to Zhehan at all, but it’s better than putting himself in a situation that makes him so overwhelmingly anxious and helpless or telling Zhehan that, the truth is, he’s unwilling to meet this person because he doesn’t want to see Zhehan with someone other than himself.
Justifying to himself that this is the only time he’ll ever, ever lie to Zhehan for the sake of protecting his own heart for just a bit longer, he texts Zhehan.
Me: i know you won’t believe me but my manager just called and assigned our team some extra work so i really can’t come home in time. you both should just start without me
Da-ge: what work?
Gong Jun bites his bottom lip.
Me: just the usual
Me: da-ge, now you want to know all the details of my job? haha
Gong Jun watches the indication of Zhehan typing and typing, but in the end, Zhehan only sends a single line.
Da-ge: hmm ok, thanks for the heads up
Gong Jun doesn’t know if Zhehan really believes him, but for now, he’s off the hook.
–––
When 5:00pm hits and people start trickling out of the office, members of his team one by one drop by his desk to ask him why he’s not leaving yet. A few of them also ask him if he wants to get dinner with them, but he rejects all of their offers, knowing that he’ll feel even more guilty if he went out for hotpot when he told Zhehan he was “working.”
He swirls around in his chair a few times, scrolls Instagram for a bit, reads some news, and just opens up the TikTok app when he gets an alert that someone named Zhang Zhehan was down in the lobby, waiting for him.
Almost cursing out loud, Gong Jun rushes down the stairs with his phone in hand, forgoing the elevators which he saw were already on the first floor.
“What are you doing here?” he rushes out, slightly out of breath, when he comes face to face with Zhehan.
“Picking you from work,” Zhehan answers easily.
“I told you–”
“Yeah, yeah, we both know you were lying.” Zhehan smiles and Gong Jun flushes. “I’d be able to tell if you had actual work.” Zhehan puts his hands on Gong Jun’s shoulders and turns Gong Jun back around to walk towards the elevators. “C’mon, let’s go grab your jacket and go home.”
Gong Jun pouts briefly but doesn’t resist, pressing the button to go back up to the fifth floor. When they get off and turn towards Gong Jun’s desk, Zhehan, the social butterfly that he is, smiles and waves at some of the remaining coworkers on the floor.
Gong Jun takes his time packing his laptop and chargers and jacket and watches as Zhehan plays with the random figurines that Gong Jun had somehow accumulated on his desk. Zhehan pauses at the single picture frame that Gong Jun had brought in and picks it up to see that it is a photo of the two of them at one of Zhehan’s basketball games a few years back, when Zhehan was still able to play.
Gong Jun nudges Zhehan to let him know that he’s done packing and ready to leave, and Zhehan carefully puts the picture frame back to its original spot.
As they take the elevator back down to the lobby, Gong Jun asks, “Didn’t you say they were coming around 6? You’re done preparing already? It’s almost 5:45, and we still have traffic on the way home.”
“Yeah, it’ll be okay.” Zhehan then snickers. “For someone who didn’t even want to come, you’re more worried than I am.”
Gong Jun feels himself heat up again, guilty and embarrassed, and mutters, “Just don’t want to leave a bad impression, that’s all.”
“Impossible!” Zhehan exclaims. “Won’t happen.” He pushes Gong Jun out of the elevator.
More loudly this time, Gong Jun replies, “I’m surprised you’re not more worried. We’re going to be late.”
Zhehan grins and pats Gong Jun on the shoulder, but he doesn’t say anything more.
When they finally get into Gong Jun’s car – because Zhehan had apparently walked all the way to his office to pick him up! – Gong Jun takes in a deep breath and then exhales out slowly, trying to mentally prepare himself for what’s to come but also to apologize to his best friend and roommate. “Da-ge, I should’ve said this earlier, but I’m really sorry about lying to you about having extra work today. It’s just – you know how I am.” They’re at a red light now, but he grips onto the steering wheel more tightly. “I’m not well suited for meeting new people on short notice. I get, y’know, awkward and stuff.”
Gong Jun can hear Zhehan smile softly and then feels Zhehan pat his right thigh twice. “Don’t worry at all. You’re fine the way you are. And I’m not mad. I was able to tell through your lie right away anyway.”
Gong Jun wants to huff at that, not knowing exactly how Zhehan was just about to tell , but instead he promises, “I won’t do it again.”
And that, they both knew, was the truth.
–––
No one’s home when they finally get back even though Gong Jun’s phone says it’s already half past 6. He looks over at the dining table and sees that Zhehan indeed has already ordered takeout for dinner as well as bought and wrapped a gift for the guest.
“So?” Gong Jun asks, “where are they? Did they tell you they were going to be late?” He already thinks this person is not reliable or committed enough for Zhehan, but he doesn’t say that out loud.
Zhehan doesn’t answer either of his questions, though, and just pushes him towards the dining table, into the seat in front of the thin but medium-sized gift box. “Here, I got you something first. You should open it.”
Gong Jun is confused. “But why? Shouldn’t I be the one giving you an apology gift? Why are you giving me a–”
Zhehan tsk’s and nudges his shoulder, cutting him off. “Just open it!”
“Um, okay?” Gong Jun gently tugs at the ribbon and lifts the lid of the box to reveal a brand new rectangular mirror cushioned with some tissue paper and confetti.
“A mirror?” Gong Jun looks up at Zhehan, who still hasn’t sat down.
“Yeah,” Zhehan says. Gong Jun thinks he’s fidgeting. “So you can meet the person I like.”
The only clock in the house hangs and ticks against the wall. No one speaks for a whole second.
“What?” breaks Gong Jun.
“What?” Zhehan echoes back.
“Wait, what?” Gong Jun can’t help repeating again. He laughs hesitantly. “Wait, it’s me? Da-ge, you mean me ?”
Zhehan clears his throat. “Yeah, who else would it be?”
“I don’t know! You know and talk to so many people, and so many people have crushes on you, and–”
“But they’re not you,” Zhehan asserts. “And I only like you.”
Gong Jun’s body reacts before he can even think, pushing back his chair and standing up so that he now towers over Zhehan with how close they are. Zhehan doesn’t look up at his eyes and instead stares at Gong Jun’s lips, breathing.
Together, Gong Jun leans down while Zhehan tilts up. They edge closer, slowly, softly, until Zhehan pulls back and grins up at Gong Jun.
Gong Jun makes a sound, close to a whimper.
“Da-ge,” he whines in a whisper.
“You didn’t answer,” Zhehan chuckles back, that gremlin that he is.
“Answer what!”
“My confession, you idiot,” Zhehan teases. “Do you like me back or not?”
“Does it look like I like you back or not!” Gong Jun wants to scream.
“You have to say it.”
“Da-ge!” Gong Jun now whines loudly.
“Do you want to kiss me or not?” Zhehan asks.
“My God, Da-ge, yes, I want to kiss you, and yes, I like you. Can we please–”
Zhehan pushes forward – finally – and closes the gap between their lips.
It’s dry.
It’s soft.
It’s perfect.
–––
Later, after Gong Jun comes out of the shower and sits next to Zhehan on the couch to cuddle – cuddle! – he sees Zhehan posting a selfie on Instagram with the caption, “我有镜子了😎”
He laughs, and laughs.