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Lu Guang is used to coming back home to the most unexpected, strange and downright ridiculous screams. At this point it’s like a side effect of living with Cheng Xiaoshi, a person loud and lively by nature. Last time this happened ended up being a very interesting turn of events—and a new, very welcome step in their relationship.
This time, however, it only makes Lu Guang feel irritated.
“My husband came home!” are the words that greet him and Qiao Ling. Cheng Xiaoshi’s voice is so full of joy, and the way he actually gigglesis nothing short of adorable. He’s leaning over the counter, his hair in disarray under the towel he was supposedly using to dry it off. His cheeks are reddened from the summer’s heat.
He is so immeasurably, insufferably beautiful it almost makes Lu Guang’s heart skip a beat.
Almost.
Because those words weren’t directed at him.
It’s been a few weeks since Cheng Xiaoshi downloaded this new game. Lu Guang doesn’t remember the name, but he does know that it’s an open world fantasy-slash-gacha game. Cheng Xiaoshi seems to enjoy the game way more than the ones he played before, which means he spends the better part of the day playing.
Thankfully, he has enough awareness to not let the game interfere with his work. Or, maybe, it’s less awareness and more that Cheng Xiaoshi actually likes his work. He told Lu Guang about it, once. How easy it is to switch his brain to work mode most days because he enjoys it enough that it becomes compelling and rewarding all at once. The same can be said for cooking, to an extent. Unfortunately, cleaning and other mundane tasks can’t catch Cheng Xiaoshi’s attention.
Or something like that. Lu Guang doesn’t really understand it. He’s still struggling to understand that ADHD isn’t about lack of attention. Anything beyond that—and specifically into how Cheng Xiaoshi’s brain works is still beyond his comprehension levels.
Still. Back to the game. Cheng Xiaoshi’s eyes are fixed on the screen of his cellphone. Lu Guang can’t see the screen, but he immediately knows Cheng Xiaoshi got another character he wanted. His luck is surprisingly good for a free to play player. Lu Guang knows he didn’t spend any money yet because they share a credit card.
“At that again?” Qiao Ling huffs. She would’ve put her hands on her hips if her arms weren’t full of grocery bags. “You should’ve been working to pay your debt, not that!”
“I finished developing the photos and dispatched the packages for delivery. I secured two photo shoots for the month. I also counted the money and filled in the spreadsheets. I even changed the display photos for new ones.” Indeed, the pictures lining the walls are all new pictures Cheng Xiaoshi took. The albums filling the shelves behind the counter are also unusually tidy. Cheng Xiaoshi must have reorganized them, too. “I earned my break.”
Qiao Ling doesn’t say it, but Lu Guang can see the surprise and even a hint of pride in her eyes. She shakes her head, and her voice sounds a little more fond than she probably intended, “Just don’t let the game make you forget everything else.”
Cheng Xiaoshi rolls his eyes. He leans back against the chair, tapping furiously on his phone. Lu Guang reaches inside one of the bags he’s carrying, and slips a can of soda over the counter. He knows Cheng Xiaoshi will look over at it as soon as he finishes the battle he’s fighting right now. Lu Guang can imagine Cheng Xiaoshi blinking in confusion clearly, and the small, happy smile he’ll give when he realizes that it’s for him.
He wants to stay and see it happen. But he needs to put the groceries away first. Cheng Xiaoshi will be the one cooking tonight—as he does nearly every day—and Lu Guang knows that he struggles to get things done smoothly if the kitchen isn’t in order from the get-go. Lu Guang wonders if it’s another ADHD thing. Or maybe it’s just a Cheng Xiaoshi thing. Regardless of which, getting this over with will save his beloved a lot of stress.
And what is Lu Guang to do if not everything in his power to keep Cheng Xiaoshi happy?
***
“This was a good day.” Cheng Xiaoshi’s happy hum reaches Lu Guang from the living room. He glances over his shoulder to see Cheng Xiaoshi sprawled on the sofa, shirt hiked up as his hand draws circles over his belly.
“It indeed was.” They managed to wrap up all the work for the week, and now all there is left for them is enjoy the weekend before everything starts over. Dinner was enjoyable, full of laughter and yet another strangely delicious recipe Cheng Xiaoshi came up with in a moment of inspiration. “Going to sleep now?”
“Nope. Not sleepy yet.” And Cheng Xiaoshi’s voice sounds a little lower, slower, as though he’s on the verge of spacing out. Lu Guang glances at him again and, sure enough, he’s looking at his phone again.
The light in the living room is dim, but with the light from the phone Lu Guang can see the soft smile on Cheng Xiaoshi’s face clearly.
Something tugs at his heart strings. Lu Guang quickly averts his gaze. He doesn’t like this feeling. He shouldn’t be feeling this way, not when he can see that Cheng Xiaoshi is having fun. It’s always such a relief to see a smile on his face, especially when taking into account how taxing their photo dives are for Cheng Xiaoshi.
And yet.
Lu Guang is jealous of a silly game with random PNG characters.
He swallows. “You said you got the character you wanted earlier?”
Oh. Good. His voice sounds casual enough. Cheng Xiaoshi surely won’t be able to pick on Lu Guang’s true feelings about it. Surely. He hopes. It’d be too embarrassing otherwise. They haven’t been dating for that long, after all. If dating is even the right word for it, that is. Neither asked the question, and aside from kissing and occasional cuddles, their relationship remained the same.
He bites back a yelp when something hot hits the back of his neck. He turns around to see Cheng Xiaoshi standing there, with a huge toothy grin on his face. He’s holding his phone up, screen turned towards Lu Guang. He squints at it.
The first thought he has about the character is that’s a lot of fire. It looks like a young man, with dark, tight, stuffy clothes and a great sword in his hand. The blade is on fire, and the flames surround the man in the form of a phoenix. The only thing redder than the fire is the man’s hair.
The character design is quite nice. Way better than most of the games they played before. He can’t say he isn’t curious about the fantasy aspect. Does this man have fire powers or something? And if so, how does the power work? How does it interact with the world?
“His name is Diluc,” Cheng Xiaoshi says. It takes Lu Guang a moment to realize Cheng Xiaoshi is bouncing. “He’s one of the characters that were released in the first batch. Since then a lot new characters were released and he was demoted from his position as the supreme DPS in-game by many, but I swear this guy’s a monster, Guang Guang!”
Cheng Xiaoshi is giggling again. He has no right to make it sound so cute. It makes Lu Guang’s heart feel strange. Warm. And suddenly everything he wants is to make sure that smile stays there, that he can keep hearing that sound over and over again. No matter what it takes.
Even if it means listening to everything Cheng Xiaoshi has to say about the game.
It frankly takes the better part of the night. Lu Guang is grateful that tomorrow is a Saturday, and therefore there’s no reason why he needs to cut Cheng Xiaoshi’s excitement short. They sit together on the sofa. Cheng Xiaoshi’s back is pressed flush against Lu Guang’s chest. They both keep their eyes on the phone as Cheng Xiaoshi tells him everything about the world of Teyvat and the main character’s journey to find their lost twin.
Cheng Xiaoshi shows him his current character list. He doesn’t actually have that many, and he actually missed the character he was ‘pulling’ for. Still, it got him Diluc, and so he insists that he actually won ‘50/50’.
“So you wanted him for the numbers?” Lu Guang asks in curiosity.
“That, too. And because he’s actually a decent pyro and my first claymore. Makes it easier to deal with bigger monster because of the physical damage. And this place—” He points at what looks like a snowy mountain in the middle of the map. “—pretty much forces you to have at least one pyro in your team unless you want to freeze to death.”
Lu Guang hums. He really can’t say it’s not interesting. “And the other reason?”
This time Cheng Xiaoshi doesn’t answer right away. Lu Guang looks up from the phone screen to look at Cheng Xiaoshi instead. What he finds makes his heart skip a beat... Again.
“You see,” and Cheng Xiaoshi is scratching his red, red cheek with his index finger, “Diluc kinda reminds me of you. Y’know. Dutiful, strong, cold-faced but gentle-hearted... He’s really just like you. So I wanted him.”
Oh.
If there’s one thing that Lu Guang can take away from this entire conversation it’s that Cheng Xiaoshi isn’t safe for his heart.
“You called him your husband,” he points out in hopes that the diversion will help him recover.
He’s so, so wrong.
“I mean, so are you.” Cheng Xiaoshi’s voice tone doesn’t change at all. He even shrugs, as though he just said something obviously mundane like the sky is blue! He glances at Lu Guang. “What? It’s true! We live in the same house, we eat every meal together, we started a business together, we sleep together and we have a shared bank account andcredit card. All that’s left at this point is signing the paper, honestly.”
Lu Guang gapes for a moment. Having this all pointed out makes it hard to argue. Even for him, who can’t help doubting every step of the way, always sticking to caution to avoid a heartbreak.
Cheng Xiaoshi sighs. He turns to looks at Lu Guang and even puts his phone down. In the dim light of the living room, his eyes look impossibly dark. “I was thinking... Do you wanna hang out with me tomorrow?”
“Like a date?” Lu Guang asks, and he hopes, for this beautiful, beautifulman is everything he can wish and hope for in this life of his. Cheng Xiaoshi nods, a smile on his face. “I’ll pay,” he declares.
“We have the same card, dumbass.” Cheng Xiaoshi snorts.
Lu Guang shakes his head. “I’ll pay with my cash.” His eyes narrow when Cheng Xiaoshi looks about to argue. “You will not stop me from spoiling you in our first date.”
This makes Cheng Xiaoshi pause. “What will I gain from letting you do it?”
Lu Guang thinks. The bright light of the cellphone catches his attention for a moment. He looks at Cheng Xiaoshi’s eyes. “I’ll do your dailies for you from now on. Every day.” He puts emphasis on the last two words.
Cheng Xiaoshi’s mouth hangs open. The daily commissions were the part he seemed less interested in sharing earlier. Lu Guang supposes it’s because they’re repetitive and the rewards too low. He isn’t sure if it’s an ADHD thing or just a Cheng Xiaoshi thing. No matter which it is, it does the trick.
“Lu Guang, you’re the best!” And Cheng Xiaoshi is smiling so bright and wide it makes everything worth it. He leans in to kiss Lu Guang, and it’s a messy, overexcited little thing that still manages to steal Lu Guang’s breath away. “Thank you!”
“Don’t mention it,” he replies mindlessly.
“Not just for the game thingy. Or the date.” Cheng Xiaoshi chuckles against Lu Guang’s shoulder. Only then does Lu Guang realize that, somehow, Cheng Xiaoshi climbed up his lap. “But for listening to me. I know I can be too much and all with the things I like and it must be tiring but—Thank you. Thank you for just... Indulge me like this.”
Lu Guang wonders how many times did Cheng Xiaoshi have to hear that he was too much to start believing it. Or how many other times he had to keep his passions to himself in fear of bothering others. How many countless, precious times like this, when his excitement and happiness and bright smiles overflowed, could have happened if not for those stupid beliefs.
“You don’t need to hold back from me,” Lu Guang says. He touches Cheng Xiaoshi’s face. It’s warm under his fingers. Cheng Xiaoshi leans into the touch. “Listening to you makes me happy. I want you to tell me everything. Always.”
Cheng Xiaoshi blinks rapidly. His breath trembles, just a little, just enough to be noticeable. “I love you, you know that?”
Lu Guang didn’t. It’s the first time Cheng Xiaoshi said those words. Hearing them shifts Lu Guang’s world in its axis. It makes everything better, brighter, a future worth living for. To think that he can have all this simply from indulging Cheng Xiaoshi a little, from the effortless task of entering his world and understanding him a little more... Maybe Cheng Xiaoshi really is just a simple person.
So easy to please. Even easier to love.
“I love you too.”