Work Text:
mu qing fought hard, but loved harder. he loved reading romance novels (though he'd never tell anybody). he loved matching his makeup to his hair. and most of all, he loved feng xin.
growing up in the same neighborhood and being xie lian’s best friends led to a rivalry that lasted for years. when they'd moved in to the same apartment, everybody had been shocked. mu qing wouldn't say it, but he knew feng xin had some delusional idea his roommate would be a serial killer if he didn't know them. stupid true crime videos.
it was rough at first. they hadn't erased all animosity from their past, and the first arguments resulted in fists being thrown without care. somewhere between those bloody knuckles and bruised arms, mu qing had fallen in love with feng xin and his annoyingly endearing grin, his warm, rough hands, and the mouth that never seemed to stop talking. he loved his habits and his meals and he loved how he cared, despite trying to hide it.
so when xie lian proposed they go on a “double date” to the paintball arena, (“feng xin and i aren't dating, xie lian.” mu qing had said, but the other man just smiled at him) he readily agreed. paintballing was an old hobby the trio used to do when they could get free time. it wasn't often, but it was a sweet memory he held in his heart.
on the day of the date, xie lian brought his boyfriend, hua cheng, and mu qing brought feng xin. mu qing did not like hua cheng. he was rude, stuck up, and really, really good at everything he tried. if they lost to this asshole, he would never let them live it down.
the game started off easy. they didn't play alone, there were a few other groups that joined them and it proceeded fairly quickly. xie lian got out within the first twenty minutes, his extraordinarily bad luck catching him again. mu qing and feng xin worked seamlessly together.
in a particularly tough spot, feng xin hit an opponent with crazy precision.
“damn, feng xin,” mu qing had said breathlessly. “those archery lessons are paying off.”
feng xin smirked at him, making mu qing’s heart nearly fly out of his chest. god dammit.
it wasn't until about an hour into their two hour session that the duo realized they were the only ones from their team left. and the other team’s remaining member was …. hua cheng.
panting from exhaustion, feng xin groaned when he saw the familiar crimson glove wave at them from the other side of the field.
“that fucker is mocking us,” he growled.
mu qing wiped his brow with the back of his gloved hand.
“you think we can get him?”
feng xin removed his mask, and shook the sweat off his hair. gross. but strangely attractive. mu qing tried ignoring it.
“we're gonna have to, otherwise we'll never hear the end of it. asshole.”
they thought of ways to hit him, taking turns keeping a look-out in case he tried to sneak up on them. all bets of civility were off now. this was war, and you could be as underhanded as you wanted to.
feng xin groaned again.
“i can't think of anything, we're just gonna have to wing it.”
mu qing looked at him from his lookout position, and that was his mistake because feng xin was looking at him with the beauty of a god. mu qing swore he saw rays of sun coming from his face, flushed cheeks and sweaty hair and tan skin and those beautiful brown eyes. oh.
“i'll take the left side, you take the right?” he asked. mu qing could only nod dumbly. pick your jaw up from the ground, dumbass.
feng xin got up but instead of going out from their shelter, he strode over to mu qing and grabbed his shirt. for a split second, he thought he was gonna get punched until he felt a set of lips on his own.
it was quick, not even a second, but fireworks exploded in mu qing’s stomach.
feng xin broke away and let go of his shirt.
“for good luck,” he said before he ran off.
mu qing's knees felt weak. did feng xin just kiss him?
mu qing’s world was spinning until he felt a paintball gun placed on the back of his protective vest.
hua cheng's sickly sweet voice came from behind him.
“caught you.”
and then he pulled the trigger.
-
“we lost.”
feng xin’s head was in his hands.
hua cheng had annihilated their duo, all bragging rights for them completely snatched away. their hopes and dreams, destroyed.
mu qing, however, took this as an absolute win.
he had to physically stop himself from grinning as he thought about feng xin kissing him.
feng xin noticed and pushed his shoulder to get his attention.
“you fucker, im pouring my heart out about that shithead hua cheng and you're sitting there like a dumbass. what's got you so occupied anyways?”
mu qing chuckled.
“you.”
feng xin’s face flushed bright red. mu qing couldn't help but laugh out loud, his heart full and bursting at the seams.
he loved feng xin. he loved him. he wouldn't tell him that now, but when they walked out of that paintball arena with no trophy in their hands, and instead each other's, he knew he'd tell him one day.