Chapter Text
Zhuzhi-lang could never understand it when his uncle would joke about youth being "the most beautiful time". He barely made it out alive from school and the university was…well, better, but he couldn't see what was so good about it anyway yet.
He used to be sort of a weird kid. Lanky, boney, unnaturally pale and always with eye bags as if he hasn't slept for weeks, he also had strange habits like staring at people without blinking for long time(he actually did that when staring at other things too; it led to eye problems and he had to wear glasses which did not add him attractiveness at all, he was glad to switch to contacts after graduation), always being silent and having an "unusual" way of thinking. He also had a habit of licking his lips all the time, and this was a problem in cold weather when his lips would always crack and look not particularly pleasing to the eye. As if all that was not enough to make him overqualified for a bullying target, he also had brackets.
Anyway, school years surely were not beautiful. And now his life became just…tolerable. Usual. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Not that it really bothered him. His uncle and aunt sure seemed to worry about him more than Zhuzhi-lang himself did. Not without a reason.
He was standing in front of the vending machine in the hallway. A can of tea dropped in the dispenser and he reached out for it. At this movement, his sleeve slightly revealed the bandages on his wrist covering the old scars.
He froze for a minute staring at the bandage, thinking of the not-so-distant past. Now that it all was over, Zhuzhi-lang even found that stupid. His uncle was worried sick when he found out. Whatever, Zhuzhi-lang got rid of that bad habit, he just didn't want to flash his scars now to avoid unnecessary attention, which was the main reason for his regret. Shouldn't have touched the wrists. Fortunately, he was the type that always felt cold, so wearing long sleeves even in hot weather was not a problem.
He took his tea and relocated to the window sill to enjoy his drink. His mind was telling him he should have gotten a snack as well, but he didn't feel hungry. He rarely did, which too was a source of concern for his caretakers, but that wasn't something Zhuzhi-lang could help, besides, he still was in good health, so he assumed that's just his variant of normalcy.
He was not expecting company.
Some guy was walking through the hallway. Zhuzhi-lang wasn't going to pay attention to him, but the young man got something from the vending machine and…walked over to the window. Oh no...it must be an extrovert.
"Hey," his smile is as radiant as the sun, making Zhuzhi-lang want to squint his eyes. "You must be Zhuzhi-lang, right? I'm Gongyi Xiao from your group! Haha, you probably don't even know of my existence because I got sick on my second day and spent a month in the hospital…"
Right, Zhuzhi-lang had no idea about his existence. He had little idea about the existence of the rest of his groupmates too, to be completely frank. He was not interested in making friends. He remembered their names out of politeness, but Gongyi Xiao was not one of those names, though it did sound oddly familiar. Anyway, what business did this guy have with him?
"Zhuzhi-lang…that's me," he responded quietly, staring at the hand Gongyi Xiao extended. He accepted the handshake.
The guy's hand was so warm compared to his own, but he had to release it. Warmth comes and goes.
"Man, I sure have missed quite a bunch," it seemed that Gongyi Xiao was not going to leave soon as he sighed heavily and leaned against the wall. "Everyone else seems to have already picked their friends. They're nice to me too, but, you know, I feel a little left out, haha. They have inside jokes I don't get, that's so awkward."
Zhuzhi-lang took a sip of his tea. So they were on the same boat now - just now. Soon this Gongyi Xiao will blend in, like the handsome guy he is, leaving Zhuzhi-lang behind.
"Well, um, I really just wanted to get to know you better."
"Me?" Zhuzhi-lang stared at him with a puzzled expression.
"Yeah. I got to know a bit about everyone, but it turned out nobody knows anything about you. From their words you were an alien, but you're…just a tall guy."
"That…is quite a revelation," Zhuzhi-lang cracked a smile. These words managed to get to his heart. Could it really be that someone can see him as a normal person? "I guess that's just because I prefer to keep out."
"Don't you feel lonely?"
"Not at all. I'm used to it."
"But you didn't say you like it, so do you mind if I hang out with you then?" Gongyi Xiao's smile was beaming with friendliness. It really was disarming…and Zhuzhi-lang, for a reason he himself couldn't explain, gave in.
"I am not opposed to that, as long as you have no trouble hanging out with a freak."
"Don't say that," the other man pouted. "Just because you're different doesn't mean you're a freak!" Sadly, Zhuzhi-lang knew that’s exactly what it means better than anyone. "Oh, and let's exchange phone numbers, it's good to be in touch."
No one asked for that before. Frankly, Zhuzhi-lang didn't even know how to add contacts so he just took his phone out of his pocket and handed it to Gongyi Xiao. Their fingers touched for a second as the guy took it. So warm.
That was the longest conversation Zhuzhi-lang had with someone who wasn't his family member in years. And then someone else entered the hallway and called Gongyi Xiao over, someone from one of his clubs, someone who led him away. Gongyi Xiao only turned back and waved at Zhuzhi-lang, giving him one more smile before disappearing.
Zhuzhi-lang stared at his phone screen for a long while, at the newly saved contact. He will never need it anyway, right? Oh, and Gongyi Xiao likely also saw his miserably short contact list, but was tactful enough to not bring it up, how sweet of him.