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Each book on the back shelves were old, Shi Qingxuan felt he had entered a new era entirely. This side of the library was darker than the rest and was filled with old pieces of literature he didn't recognise. He walked farther in, led by curiosity, and touched the spines of many of the books, stopping on a hardback when he heard a page turn.
Truth be told Shi Qingxuan never really went to library's, and god knows when he last actually picked up a book, but he had gotten so bored that day that he asked his best friend Xie Lian if he could go with him. Xie Lian went to this library often, granted he never boasted about it to him but it was still no secret nonetheless.
He peaked over the top of a line of books, through the gap a boy was sat on the floor. Black hair was tied up tight in a ponytail and had a faint blue glow about it under the yellow light, the shirt he wore was of a band and had the words SET IT OFF in bold letters across the front. Amidst the black eyeliner he wore were two golden eyes, that Shi Qingxuan believed to be contact lenses, peering down at the withering book settled in his hands, on his black jeans. Shi Qingxuan's mouth lay agape. He had an eye for beautiful things and this man, with his pale and clear complexion, was indeed beautiful.
He must have stared for too long because the man looked up from his book and stared back at him. Those eyes, suddenly Shi Qingxuan wasn't too sure if they were contact lenses anymore, they looked so real. After a minute Shi Qingxuan panicked!
"Hi!" He spoke quickly to cover up that he must have looked like a stalker and fixed his crop-top and jacket before running around the book case to the side the man was on. "Hi, I'm Shi Qingxuan, what's your-"
"Sh."
The man held up a finger to his pursed lips with a spine-shivering glare then dropped his hand and returned to his book, so Shi Qingxuan did what he thought any normal person would do, which was sit beside him. "That wasn't an invitation to join me.." The pale man spoke quietly, his voice was a calming, deep tone.
"Well, I didn't catch your name!"
"Quiet down. And why should I tell you?"
"Because we are friends now."
He almost choked at Shi Qingxuan's words.
"Are you dense? We have never met, how could we be friends?"
"True, but that doesn't mean we can't get to know each other."
"You won't leave until I tell you right?"
Shi Qingxuan giggled and nodded quickly.
"It's Ming Yi.. now can you leave?"
"Not at all Ming-Xiong, we are getting to know each other aren't we?"
Ming Yi sighed with a forward tilt of his head as Shi Qingxuan began his excessive rambling and wave of questions. He turned the volume up on his phone to drown him out with the music playing in his earphones. The music didn't do much, it was an acoustic version of a song called Only Love. Shi Qingxuan figured that Ming Yi wasn't listening but he didn't mind, he was still there and he knew his name so it was progress.
Xie Lian called for Shi Qingxuan, more like whispered. Shi Qingxuan looked over his shoulder at his friend, who looked like the walking light academia style. He looked back at Ming Yi, he hadn't even looked up from his book, and hugged him tight. A rush shivered through him and a scent that reminded him of the beach entered his lungs, and the feel of his skin was cooling on his own. After, he got up and jogged to meet up Xie Lian.
Ming Yi didn't move although his eyes flicked over to Shi Qingxuan to watch him leave, the lyrics of the ending of his song simply repeated 'please stay..'.
The week after Shi Qingxuan hung out with Xie Lian again, this time with the promise to meet the man he had been going on about called Hua Cheng and a friend he was going to bring along with him, almost like a double date. Shi Qingxuan only agreed under the condition that they go to the bar near where they lived, which was a more richer area. They had gotten there a bit earlier since Xie Lian was too eager to get there and see Hua Cheng, getting the most dressed up he had been in a while. The bar was quiet and the drinks were pricy for a reason, the whole place had a gold hue despite it being so white that anyone who went there made sure to sanitise before touching anything.
"Gege looks extremely enchanting tonight, both their heads snapped to the man dressed in a full red suit, decorated with silver, his tie had butterflies embroidered into it and the same for the cuffs of his sleeves. But Shi Qingxuan didn't pay too much mind to him because he was too focused on the person accompanying him, a man who looked to be severly uncomfortable and wore only black with a neatly tied ponytail. Golden earrings dangled from his ears. Ming Yi... looked disgusted yet flabbergasted to see Shi Qingxuan sat at the bar. Shi Qingxuan on the other hand was ecstatic!
"It's you!" He nearly yelled with excitement.
"It's you."
"Hey don't look so down to see me Ming-Xiong!"
Both Hua Cheng and Xie Lian gave them questioning looks.
"Ming-Xiong?" Xie lian pondered aloud.
"Does Gege's friend know He Xu-"
"Ming Yi." He Xuan quickly corrected Hua Cheng before he could finish. "And we don't know each other." Shi Qingxuan feigned sadness at those words,
"You're so cruel Ming-Xiong, so cold to your best friend!"
"Not your friend."
"That's why I said best friend!"
With that they ordered their first round of drinks, excluding He Xuan as he couldn't accept a drink of that price eventhough it was his friend that was adamant on paying. The gesture seemed more to please Xie Lian than as an act of kindness, and of course Shi Qingxuan took full advantage, especially since the Hua Cheng and Xie Lian were off in their own worlds together. That meant Ming Yi and Shi Qingxuan were sat bored together.
Ming Yi hated these types of rich establishments, not that he couldn't afford them as the one with lesser wealth amongst the group. He just saw no pride in being so careless, like a certain man who loved the thrill of carelessness. But even Ming Yi couldn't help but notice the bubbly Shi Qingxuan sitting with his hand rested on his hand as the other swirls his drink. Was there more to him than Ming Yi thought? He wanted to know, and he had to admit he knew it was a dangerous type of knowing, it was probably because he was bored to hell and if he listened to anymore of the clear lovers then he'd be sick. He could slip out unnoticed but that rational reasoning didn't completely erase from his head.
"Hey." Shi Qingxuan lifted his head immediately, more so at the shock that Ming Yi was the first to speak. "This isn't really my type of scene, so I'm ditching, you coming?" Shi Qingxuan never nodded so fast in his life, he turned to tell Xie Lian they were going but Ming Yi stopped him by dragging him by the wrist off his chair and out the door leading him to a polished black car. The roof was down as they drove and for once Shi Qingxuan was having so much fun he didn't care about his hair getting messy, he stood and cheered towards the wind, feeling like he could fly away with it. He giggled even as they pulled over in an area he didn't recognise, it was more run down than what he was used to and more chaotic too. He loved it.
He Xuan lead Shi Qingxuan into one of the buildings, it was filled with bright and different coloured lights and a cluster of bodies bouncing and moving against each other in a sensual wave. It made him shiver. He Xuan ordered their drinks as Shi Qingxuan drunk it all in and then drunk his drink quickly, eager to dance and from then on everything was a blurry mess of bright colours and heat.
He woke up. A great stinging twang in his back as he readjusted himself withing soft sheets. As his eyes readjusted he smelt a familiar smell, of the beach, his heart raced. Soft breathe warmed the back of his neck and an arm held his bare body tighter. BARE BODY!? Shi Qingxuan shot up and looked down at none other than Ming Yi who was now only just waking up as well. They both froze as they stared at each other bewildered. Did they? They must have, it would explain the pain and the fact that they weren't wearing clothes.
Shi Qingxuan let his eyes wander Ming Yi's form, his usually neat hair was now messy and the further down he looked, the more he felt his dick twitch. He had to leave, without a word he got up and scrambled to dress himself and let himself out, not even noticing thay he had left his phone behind until he left the apartment but too filled with shame to go back.
Xie Lian popped his head into Shi Qingxuans room, "Ming Yi texted, you left your phone somewhere and he has it!"
Shi Qingxuan groaned in response and dug his head deeper into the pillow, Xie Lian sighed, "ill just tell him you'll pick it up tonight... he said to meet him at the beach, near X Road." Shi Qingxuan couldn't even argue or come up with an excuse to not go without revealing what had happened to Xie Lian, maybe one day he'd tell him but today was not that day. He looked over at his desk and there sat a book, a copy of the Great Gatsby he had saved from school, hardback in great condition. A peace offering?
He Xuan looked Beautiful by the ocean under a streetlight in the dark, Shi Qingxuan would give him that. He really did have an eye for everything beautiful. He walked to He Xuan and nuzzled deeper into his scarf. He Xuans here was down and drifted in front his face, even when he tucked it behind his ear when he faced Shi Qingxuan, he handed the phone and stopped walking as quick as he began when the other held the book out to him, which he took and and examined.
"I was hoping we could put what happened behind us and just be friends again.." Shi Qingxuan mumbled.
"We don't even know each other.."
"Then let's get to know each other. Properly this time." Ming Yi paused then nodded, so Shi Qingxuan smiled gently and held his hand out to him, "hello, my name is Shi Qingxuan!"
He took his hand.
"He Xuan."