Work Text:
Everyone has hobbies,whether that be painting, singing, writing or physical activities. Some dedicated more time to their interests than others.
Shen Yuan, was a different story.
The man usually spent his time in front of his multiple screens in the dark, clicking away like there's no tomorrow. His current obsession with an ongoing web novel had taken most of his time this past year. As PeerlessCumcumber, he had the important job to share his honest opinion with others, the truth and nothing but the truth. He could honestly do a much better job writing this book than the current author. “These people are so blind. Don’t they see that I’m just giving out constructive criticism? People are just too soft nowadays.” He mumbled to himself, mouth half full with barely chewed food.
The latest chapter was, as always, trash. Does this author not realize what potential he’s wasting? Now all of a sudden the Stallion protagonist has all of these amazing powers and has no weakness whatsoever. Where was the fun in this? Where is the plot? Because there sure as hell isn’t one here. ‘This ought to be good.’ he thought to himself while clicking onto the next chapter.
“The writing in this chapter is making me lose brain cells. How can they call themselves a writer?”
His train of thought was interrupted by a knock at the door. The man groaned out of annoyance. Can’t he be left alone in peace? It better not be that annoying neighbor, or that stupid door to door salesman most likely selling those weird pickle pots again.
Maybe this will keep his mind off of how frustrating this god damn book was. He doesn’t remember the last time he had human contact.
Shen Yuan sighed as he got up from his station and headed over to the door. He opened the door slightly, only enough to see into the hallway of his apartment. Not a person in sight. It must be those stupid kids playing ding dong ditch again, how annoying. THough just as he was about to close the door, his eyes made their way down to the floor where a small package wrapped in a black mailer was waiting for him. A package? Did he order something recently? This didn’t look like the groceries he ordered.
Then it hit him like a sack of bricks.
‘Oh..’
It's been so long since he ordered it that he had completely forgotten all about it.
Better late than never, he was wondering when this thing would arrive.
Shen Yuan quickly grabbed the black mailer from the ground and pulled it inside, closing the door shortly after.
He didn’t even waste time on getting scissors, just ripping into the packaging like a bag of chips. After a few moments opening, unwrapping and appreciating the artist's business card, he slapped the item onto his small coffee table with a muffled thud.
A mousepad.
At first, Shen Yuan got it as a joke. He found out about some Proud Immortal Demon Way fanart somewhere on twitter and found the link to the store. Some artist had crowdfunded to make some character inspired products. It’s not like Shen Yuan was a fan or anything, he felt bad for the artist for wasting time and money on such a project, so of course he had to support them in their endeavor. It also seemed like a practical purchase, something to cushion his wrist while he’s online. Purchased it to make a mocking review of the web novel even. Besides, something coming from a stallion novel should be interesting to look at anyway.
It's not like he didn’t know what he was ordering. He saw the twitter post, clicked on the kickstarter, pledged and waited countless months for production to go underway. This is exactly what he ordered, a cushioned mouse pad of the stallion protagonist Luo Binghe.
But he didn't expect the main character's chest to look so...so…
Large.
Voluptuous.
Full.
Firm?
Fuck.
This is a mouse pad for fucks sake.
He inspected the mousepad further. The quality was amazing, just as described on the website. The wrist cushion was…well formed to say the least. The artist really didn’t spare any details whatsoever. The open robe was rather revealing while still leaving some imagination to the viewer. He could even see the slightest hint of nipples poking out from black robes, teasing Shen Yuan. The poor netizen felt a small wave of embarrasment wash over him.
Was he supposed to lay his wrist on this?
It's not his first time seeing such a mousepad, there tons of them online for different franchises mainly portraying women with big assets. However, this was the first time he’s seen a mousepad of a man with even bigger assets. Probably the biggest ones he’s ever seen.
His hand reached down to touch the cushion. Since it's here, he might as well inspect the product futher.
As he was about to touch the mousepad, he couldn’t help but to look into the characters' eyes, those alluring sets of dark eyes accompanied by a mischievous smirk. It was almost as if he wanted to be touched, the pose was so…inviting.
‘Wait, what?’ ‘NO!’
He slapped his own hand away from the item before he could touch it, scolding himself for even thinking about such an act.
What was he thinking?!
He can’t touch him like that! Deep in both his frustration and embarrassment, Shen Yuan threw the mousepad dramatically onto the floor. “Stupid fucking author. How the hell are people so delusional to even buy this? This was a stupid idea.” He muttered to himself as he cleaned up the packaging from his couch, leaving the poor Luo Binghe mouse pad to observe him from the floor.
Whatever, he had more important things to do anyway.
Shen Yuan returned to his spot back at the computer, getting himself comfortable and taking a deep breath before typing away.
Hours would go by as he continued to converse with other netizens on the forum and the occasional bickering with Airplane Bro. Though every now and then Shen Yuan would be reminded of the mousepad's existence. From the corner of his eye he could see him. The angle in which the mousepad lay on the floor made it seem as if he was being stared at. Those eyes with that mischievous smile just staring back at him. The Luo Binghe Mousepad smirked at him from afar, almost as if to beckon its new owner over.
‘Come pick me up Shen-Gege. Don’t leave me on the floor.`
Those mounds were just staring at him.
‘Touch me.’
Shen Yuan shook his mind out of the gutter, spinning his chair back to the computer to ignore the pleading protagonist on the floor.
Though as time went on, he couldn’t help but to look back at the floor, to look back at him. It was like he was taunting him for being a coward, something the real Luo Binghe would do.
Time and time again, Shen Yuan tried to focus on Luo Binghe inside the computer screen and not the one behind him, but 'Coward, Coward' kept playing in his mind.
'I'm not a fucking coward!'
Finally, he'd had enough.
He couldn’t let some stupid inanimate object get the best of him. It was an object, a silly little object he purchased. He was its owner, he should be the one in charge.
He got up from his seat once more and grabbed the mousepad with anger, muttering under his breath at how ridiculous this all was. He grabbed the mousepad from the floor and placed it on his computer desk, staring at it intensely. He was going to touch it, once and for all.
But each time She Yuan tried to touch the subtle pillows of Luo Binghes chest he hesitated, he could feel himself sweating. His hand hovered only centimeters from the main characters. He couldn’t do it, he just couldn’t. It was just a stupid mousepad but to touch its voluminous chest just so wrong. He shouldn’t dirty Luo Binghes' stallion image like this. No one should.
After what felt like hours to him, Shen Yuan finally mustered the courage to finally do it. He did it quickly before could have second thoughts. His hand now laid on the cushions, fingers firmly grasping the character's left breast. He then gave it a gentle squeeze.
“It’s… softer than I thought.” He said amused, giving the mousepad another squeeze. “Though it does have a nice firmness to i-” Shen Yuan didn’t even finish his sentence, too horrified at what just came out of his mouth. His hand immediately released the cushions. Looking at his own shaking hand with a mix of shock, disgust and embarrassment.
N O
No, no, no
No
This cannot be happening.
The last time he checked, Shen Yuan was very much straight and not gay. He liked women… for the most part. Its not like he was against homosexuality, love who you want to love for crying out loud. It's just not his cup of tea in terms of his personal preference. Just because the mousepad was as soft as a real pair of breasts doesn’t change anything about him.
Luo Binghe is much more muscular than this. He was not meant to be soft and squishy
A true Stallion protagonist was meant to build power and constitution. To think that he has been reduced to a mere sexual object offended the reader to high heaven. Luo Binghe himself would be offended if he saw this himself.
‘I’m not into this. I’m not into this at all.’ A panicked voice ran through his mind, trying to reassure the man that in fact he was not into this.
But then he gave the mousepad another squeeze.
Oh, they were soft. Very Soft.
Oh no, he’s definitely into this.
Fuck.
Shen Yuan took a deep breath to recollect his thoughts, his hand not once leaving Luo Binghes breast.
“I can’t return it now, it's already too late for that since he removed the protective film.THis was still a useful purchase, it's still worth the money.” he said to himself, Reasoning with himself was the best thing he could do right now.
“ Yes, it's soft but any type of mousepad was soft like this. I just have to imagine a beautiful lady in the place of the stallion protagonist.”
He pictured some of the random concubines from the novels, his hands on their chest. Though his mind made them resemble the protagonist slightly. They still looked womanly in his opinion so good enough.
He was just glad that this man was in fact not real, only a fictional character stuck in a shitty novel with no way of finding him. The last thing he wanted was for the amazing, powerful and handsome Luo Binghe to come after him.
It's just a mousepad, just an ergonomic mousepad.
❂
And so, life went on as normal. Over the next couple of weeks, Shen Yuan accepted the new role the mousepad had in his life. Luo Binghe now had a new home at his desk, bringing comfort to his master's wrist and sanity on ocassion. It was a product that fulfilled his needs for ergonomic comfort and nothing more. It just happened that the mousepad had his favorite character's face on it.
Today was like any other for the netizen, scrolling through the internet to look for forums to pick fights in, the usual. As he scrolled through various open browser windows he noticed a new update on the Proud Immortal Demon Way website. There was an announcement from Airplane that the final arc of the novel would be posted in the next couple of weeks.
Shen Yuan couldn’t help but to roll his eyes at the announcement banner.The book had already turned into a trainwreck and the author had decided to speed up the ending of the novel? How unprofessional is that? Maybe he realized all the mistakes he made and is trying to clean up his own mess, or make it worse. Who knows. He gave Luo Binghes chest a big squeeze out of irritation, the mousepad also worked well as a stress reliever.
“Whatever, once this shitty novel is done and over with I can finally move onto better things with my life.”