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It’s half past midnight, and Jiang Cheng realizes it’s a bit late to be at the gym. However, today hadn’t been the best day.
He repeatedly pummels his punching bag and thinks back on his shit show of a day.
♡
He’d overslept—nearly missing his first class—subsequently, cutting his time short and making it an impossibility to pass by his favorite coffee shop. He’d failed a pop quiz in his music theory class, and ended up being partnered with an annoying overly-chatty girl for their class’ upcoming project.
Arguing with his father for the millionth time over the family legacy, and how ‘ his hard work is going to waste if he has no one to hand it over to when he retires’ , was honestly the cherry on top.
♡
Fat droplets of sweat trickle down the ends of Jiang Cheng’s bangs and onto the padded floor as he angrily abuses the punching bag. Fortunate for him that his current apartment complex has a small communal gym. It was the easiest natural solution, and Jiang Cheng chose to burn off steam working out. With music blaring through the tiny speakers of his headphones, he loses track of time.
He’s just about to land a very satisfying uppercut blow when a large hand clamps over his shoulder. It startles a— manly , Jiang Cheng will swear up and down later—scream out of him. On pure adrenaline and instinct, Jiang Cheng’s fist flies out and collides with the stranger’s jaw.
He watches in horror as a tall—and quite handsome, his stupid brain unhelpfully supples—young man, staggers backwards, face slightly crumpled and brows furrowed in what Jiang Cheng assumes to be pain.
“Fuck” Jiang Cheng curses, “fuck—shit! Oh my god, I am so sorry” he sputters as he removes his headphones. He takes a hesitant step towards the stranger, “are you—uhm, well, are you alright?”
He cringes at the incredible stupidness of his question.
The young man’s eye twitches, however, the look he gives Jiang Cheng is quite unreadable and frighteningly blank.
“I mean, you just punched me in the face” the stranger deadpans, “would you be okay?”
Jiang Cheng does not appreciate the judgmental sarcastic tone, but given the fact that he really did just punch the guy and isn’t currently getting his shit rocked, well, he can let it go. He studies the man, and it takes him approximately one second to realize just exactly who it is he punched.
The cute guy with the ever impassive face and the gorgeous golden eyes from across the hall. The one he runs into almost every morning on his way to uni and exchanges semi pleasant ‘good mornings’ with when he’s not too busy staring at the screen of his phone.
“Again—I’m really sorry about that!” Jiang Cheng reiterates, “You startled me” he adds.
“Perhaps you’d have heard me and would’ve avoided being frightened if you listened to your music at an appropriate level” his neighbor accused, the continues judgment in his tone not going unnoticed by Jiang Cheng. “I do apologize for touching you without your consent, but I hadn’t another option”
Frustrated, Jiang Cheng rolls his eyes at the man and scoffs.
“Maybe, walk in front of me rather than sneak up behind me. You can’t blame me for acting on instinct” he counters trying to keep his voice leveled, as he grows increasingly irritated—it’s not like he meant to punch the guy, and it was basically his fault (though Jiang Cheng doesn’t say so)
His neighbor’s face twitches with annoyance.
“I did not sneak up —“ The man sighs, “you know what, doesn’t matter. Groundskeeper said he’s closing the gym in ten minutes. He’s asked us to pack it up and head home” without another word, his neighbor turns on his heel and heads towards the exit.
“Don’t forget to ice that!” Jiang Cheng yells after him, his neighbor doesn’t acknowledge him and carries on his path back home. Jiang Cheng rolls back shoulders and groans.
So much for blowing off steam.
♡
The following morning greets Jiang Cheng with the usual chirping birds and bright sunlight streaming through his thin lilac curtains. He rubs the sleep out of his eyes and sighs as he lets his arms fall from his face and plop down on his bedsheets with a soft thud.
He takes a peak at his bedside table, and reads the time.
7:45 AM
It’s Thursday, and he usually sleeps in till’ about eleven. Today however, he’s woken up from a fitful night’s sleep with deep guilt, regret, and embarrassment. There’s no way he could even think of sleeping past eight in the morning. He sighs resolutely, and hops off his bed. He’s decided he will shower and dress, then head to his favorite coffee shop and correct his transgressions against his poor, handsome—albeit a little frustratingly annoying—neighbor.
Jiang Cheng grabs his towel and rushes towards the bathroom past a very frazzled looking Wei Ying.
“Jiang Cheng?” Wei Ying quizzes, “why’re you up so early?”
“Got a few things to take care of” Jiang Cheng explains pausing in the middle of the hallway to answer his brother’s question.
Wei Ying hums noncommittally, then looks up at him guiltily, “hey sorry, you usually aren’t up at this time on Thursdays, so I didn’t make any extra breakfast. I’m also running late, so I can’t whip you up anything quick”
“No worries, I’ll grab a croissant from the coffee shop or something. Thanks though, your face is making me nauseous” Jiang Cheng grins pinching Wei Ying’s food fattened cheek which earns him a stinging slap and pout from his brother.
“Please behave! Stay safe, and have a nice day! And make sure you eat something! Coffee is not a proper source of food!” Wei Ying yells (read: nags) as he exits their apartment.
Jiang Cheng shakes his head fondly before returning to his previous task at hand and hurriedly showers. He pairs one of his most favorite and comfortable black cardigans with a baby blue t-shirt and his favorite ripped washed out black jeans. He grabs his keys and heads out the door, hastily making his way to Sunshot Cafe.
♡
“You punched him in the face?!” Wen Ning exclaims as he takes Jiang Cheng’s card.
“Right smack in the center of his beautiful, perfectly sculpted face” Jiang Cheng bemoans draping himself over the counter. Wen Ning offers him sympathetic pat on the head, then hands him his card and receipt.
“Should've offered to take him back to your place and nurse him back to health” Huaisang pipes in suggestively, wiggling his brows obnoxiously from the other side where he’s brewing Jiang Cheng’s coffees.
Wen Ning makes an awkward gurgling sound and turns to glare at Huaisang in scandalized outrage.
“Trust me” Jiang Cheng says, “I would’ve had I not feared he’d punch me right back” he sighs and straightening up when the doorbell jingles and Wen Ning shoos him away to make way for the next costumer.
“You guys are unbelievable” Wen Ning scoffs under his breath, then turns to the impatient looking middle aged woman approaching them, “Welcome to Sunshot, how may I help you today?”
Jiang Cheng rolls his eyes and moves over towards the stool seating area right around the corner from the cash register and waits patiently for his coffees.
“Yao Yao is working on your croissants out back, they’ll be out soon” Huaisang tells him as he places his coffees on the counter.
Jiang Cheng offers him a smile and a thanks him watching him move back over to prepare more drinks.
“I heard you punched your boyfriend in the face” Yao Yao says as he approaches Jiang Cheng and plants a brown bag in front of him.
“You mean you were eavesdropping” Jiang Cheng muses, and Yao Yao grins offering him a shrug.
“S’not like you’re particularly quiet” he snickers, “pretty sure everyone in the near vicinity heard your sad, tragic story”
“You’re annoying, I’m leaving” Jiang Cheng sniffs then grabs his belongings before sliding off of his stool.
“At least I didn’t punch my crush in the nose” Yao Yao cackles, and if Jiang Cheng could flip him off, he would have.
“Jiang Cheng, wait a second will you?” Wen Ning calls after him as he hands a mom with her kid her change and receipt. He smiles at her then scurries over to where the pastries are in full display. He pulls out a mille-feuille, wraps it in pastry sheet then stuffs it in a paper bag handing it over to Jiang Cheng. “Wei Ying texted me earlier that you’d be by and hadn’t had breakfast. He thought you might not actually follow through on getting an actual breakfast so he made me promise I’d give you at least a pastry to accompany your coffee with. He paid already, so”
Jiang Cheng shakes his head, a fond smile on his face. He takes the pastry gladly thanking Wen Ning, then hurries back home. If his memory and calculations are correct, he has less than thirty minutes to get back home before his neighbor leaves for work.
♡
Jiang Cheng stands in front of his neighbor’s front door, suddenly feeling a little stupid and more than a little self-conscious. What if he was still mad and ended up slamming the door right in Jiang Cheng’s face? What if he laughed at him, then slammed the door in his face?
Shaking his head to rid himself of anymore ridiculous bad thoughts, Jiang Cheng squares his shoulders, then knocks once, twice maybe thrice on his neighbor’s door. He waits a few seconds, then a few minutes (though it feels like hours) the door finally swings open revealing a sleep mussed, shirtless and boxer clad neighbor. His hair sticking up in all directions, blinking blearily at Jiang Cheng.
“I uhm—sorry if I woke you. Shouldn’t you be getting ready for work, or something?” Jiang Cheng asks slightly tilting his head to the side.
“Or something” his sleepy neighbor mumbles, “took the day off. Face is bruised, swollen and hurts—too tender to put makeup over it” he explains and Jiang Cheng cringes at the busted bottom lip and big purple bruise decorating his neighbor’s jaw.
“God, I’m sorry” Jiang Cheng sighs letting his head fall forward, “I really did not mean to do that, look—I bought you some breakfast to make up for it. Here!” he exclaims perking up and handing him a coffee cup and a bag with a toasty warm ham, egg and cheese croissant.
“You didn’t have to do that—”
“It’s okay, I wanted to”
His neighbor offers him one of those rare shy but kind smiles he always shoots him in the mornings on on their way down in the elevator, and takes the coffee and paper bag from him.
“Thank you—”
“Jiang Wanyin—or Jiang Cheng” Jiang Cheng blushes.
“I know—I’m Wangji, by the way—if you were wondering” his neighbor, Wangji, says his ears reddening a bit. Jiang Cheng bites his lip to keep from grinning, and instead offers him a smile.
“Wangji—wait, you knew my name?”
“Your—well your boyfriend?” Wangji asks, “I’ve heard him call out to you several times in the mornings I leave earlier”
“Boyfriend?” Jiang Cheng asks, eyes wide and confused.
“The tall lanky guy with permanent eye bags and messy ponytail? He’s always running late and looking frazzled. Never waits for the elevator, and runs down the stairs always dropping stuff. I actually don’t know his name” Wangji mumbles.
“Wei Ying?”
Wangji shrugs, “I guess?”
“He isn’t my boyfriend, gross, he’s brother” Jiang Cheng laughs incredulously.
“Oh” Wangji mumbles, eyes wide and face pinking up. What idiotic assumption , he thinks to himself. “I just—well I just assumed. He always seems pretty concerned with your behavior and eating habits” Wangji tells him, his blush spreading across his cheeks a clear indication of his embarrassment. “My brother also worries in similar ways, sorry for just assuming”
“I guess it’s only natural, we don’t look anything alike—not biological brothers, he’s adopted but—yeah” Jiang Cheng shrugs. “Sorry he’s loud enough for you to hear him, he cares a lot and likes to mother and nag his family and friends” Jiang Cheng jokes, “but anyways, I’ll let you get some rest, sorry for that, again” Jiang Cheng says and begins to turn when Wangji calls out his name.
“Would you—I mean, well would you like to come in and have breakfast with me?” Wangji asks.
“Oh” Jiang Cheng blinks several times, then realizes Wangji’s still waiting for an answer, “oh yeah, sure! Uhm, would you like to go and put on some clothes while I go and fetch my breakfast?” Jiang Cheng asks pressing his lips into a thin line and pointing at Wangji’s bare chest.
Wangji’s eyes wander down his body then widen before he slams his apartment door shut.
( He does open it right after to peek his head out to tell a bewildered and confused Jiang Cheng to just walk in when he’s grabbed his breakfast while he freshens up )