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“Where are you taking me?”
It was late, much later than they usually went out. Not that Hua Cheng minded; he never needed much sleep, anyway. He was, however, a bit concerned for his boyfriend.
Xie Lian turned back to grin at him. His cheeks were flushed an adorable shade of pink with excitement and the cold. “What ever happened to a good, old-fashioned surprise?”
“But I hate surprises.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Says who?” Hua Cheng stuck his tongue out.
Xie Lian laughed. “Says you, literally last week. Now, are you coming or not?”
“Of course, gege.”
“Then follow me!”
Hua Cheng took Xie Lian’s warm hand in his own and let himself be dragged along.
City lights hummed above their heads, casting long shadows and blotting out the shine of the stars. The streets were nearly empty, allowing a peaceful silence to descend over the block they were on. Hua Cheng didn’t recognize the buildings, but Xie Lian walked along with confidence.
“On a scale of one to ten, how sleep deprived are you right now?” he asked cautiously.
“Hm? San Lang, don’t you trust me?” Xie Lian responded, making a face.
“I do, but… where are we going?”
“Shh. Be patient. We’re here!”
Xie Lian yanked him to the side and came to an abrupt stop. Hua Cheng stumbled directly into him. With a small smile, Xie Lian steadied him with one hand.
“That was hot. Do it again.”
“San Lang!” Xie Lian laughed and caught him again with ease, throwing an arm around his shoulder to keep him from falling as he punched numbers into the keypad next to the door. “Get up, get up.”
“You’re not even struggling, gege,” Hua Cheng sighed, leaning languidly against his boyfriend. “You’re so strong. Kiss me!”
“You’re ridiculous,” Xie Lian responded, but he reached around to give him a quick peck on his lips before shoving the door open. “Let’s go!”
Hua Cheng finally pulled himself up and followed. “What is this place?”
Xie Lian led the way into the elevator, jabbing his thumb into the button for floor sixteen. “You’ll see.”
“So very cryptic!” Hua Cheng protested, but he was still smiling as he drew the shorter man into his arms. Xie Lian allowed him to, leaning against his chest. He slid his fingers into Xie Lian’s hair and rested his cheek against the top of his head.
The elevator released a pleasant “ping!” noise and slid open, revealing two familiar figures.
“Urgh,” Mu Qing said.
“Public spaces, you two,” Feng Xin chided teasingly.
Hua Cheng kept one arm around Xie Lian and pointed his finger at Feng Xin. “You’re one to talk. And you, A-Qing.”
Mu Qing ignored the jib, holding out his hand. “Here, Xie Lian. Don’t go crazy, or they’ll call the cops on us.”
“Thank you!” Xie Lian straightened up and held out his hand. Hua Cheng caught the metallic glint of brass before the mysterious object disappeared into his fingers.
Feng Xin grinned. “Have fun.”
He shot a sideways look at Mu Qing. The other man rolled his eyes and grabbed his hand. “Good night!”
Hua Cheng snickered and watched as Feng Xin’s ears turned red. The pair disappeared down the hallway.
“Now what?” Hua Cheng questioned.
“This way,” Xie Lian said, disentangling himself from Hua Cheng. He took a left, the opposite of where the other two had gone, and began to walk with confidence.
Hua Cheng trailed after him, still slightly bemused.
They came to a stop around a bend in the hallway. Xie Lian fished around in the pockets of his white jacket and drew out a long strip of black cloth. “Here.”
“How very mysterious.” Hua Cheng took the cloth and regarded it curiously.
“Tie it over your eyes!”
“Must I?”
“You must,” Xie Lian insisted. Hua Cheng shrugged and went to work.
“Now what?”
“Hold out your hand. I’ll lead you the rest of the way.”
“You won’t let me walk into a wall?” Hua Cheng asked, making his voice small, joking.
“Of course not. Do you trust me?”
“Always.”
He reached out blindly and grabbed onto Xie Lian’s hand. Gently, he began to guide him. They walked in silence for a few short moments.
“Alright, stop.”
They came to a careful stop. Hua Cheng kept their hands together, listening to Xie Lian struggle with something that sounded like a key.
“Do you want your hand back?” Hua Cheng offered. Silently, he prayed his offer would be declined. Though he trusted Xie Lian, part of him was afraid of his boyfriend disappearing the moment he let go.
“Nah, it’s fine,” Xie Lian responded casually. “There, see? Got it.” His voice was endearingly proud.
“Well done,” Hua Cheng replied brightly. He could almost sense the way Xie Lian beamed up at him before he pushed the door open.
The first thing he felt was the slight bite of the autumn wind against his skin. “We’re… outside?”
“Wait, wait,” Xie Lian said, tugging his hand lightly. He obeyed, talking two steps forward. He heard the door close behind him.
“Okay, you can take the blindfold off now.”
Hua Cheng undid the knot quickly. When he pulled the soft cloth from his eyes and let out a sigh of relief, he immediately drew his breath in with a gasp.
They stood together high above the city on the roof of Feng Xin and Mu Qing’s apartment. The roof was nicely decorated, with a few low couches and tables scattered around the flat surface. String lights criss-crossed above their head, shining their orange-yellow light down on their two new guests. The entirety of the space was enclosed with a chest-high beige wall. Xie Lian ran towards the edge, beckoning for Hua Cheng to follow.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Xie Lian called over the wind. His hair whipped into his face and he brushed it away with enthusiasm. Hua Cheng laughed, reaching out to hold it back and securing it with Xie Lian’s ribbon.
“It’s really nice. When did you find this place?” he shouted back.
Xie Lian took his hand again and led him away from the wall. Choosing a couch at random, they sat down together. Xie Lian threw a disapproving look at the string lights. “One second.”
With a bit of fumbling around, he managed to locate the switch. Hua Cheng watched from his spot reclining on the couch as they were plunged into darkness.
“That’s better. Look at those stars!” Xie Lian’s voice sounded suddenly near his ear. He gave a small start, jumping up, and Xie Lian chuckled, pressing a small kiss to his temple before moving to sit besides Hua Cheng.
“Okay, okay. Comfortable?” Hua Cheng hummed affirmatively and Xie Lian went on.
“Feng Xin and Mu Qing and I all used to live here together. We got the place… what, our first year of college? It was cheaper then. We never would have afforded it now. They’re lucky to keep this place, and have such good jobs.”
“Hmm,” Hua Cheng said, by way of response. His vision adjusted slowly to the dark, just enough to catch the peaceful, fond expression across Xie Lian’s face.
“I used to come up here all the time. To read or study or listen to music or just… take it all in. Living in the city. It was surreal.” He sounded more distant now. Hua Cheng gently threaded their hands together and leaned against him. Xie Lian flashed him a grateful smile and squeezed his hand.
“It was… really nice. I made a lot of good memories up here, alone and with friends. This is my favorite place in the whole world. So I wanted you to see,” he finished, sounding slightly shy.
“Your favorite place?”
“Mhm.”
Hua Cheng turned and took hold of Xie Lian gently. He yelped, surprised, then nodded. In one fluid motion, Hua Cheng lay down and settled Xie Lian on top of him. Xie Lian’s eyes sparkled with delight and Hua Cheng steadied him with two hands around his body. Framed by the night sky above, with the moon tucked over his left ear like a silver flower, he looked ethereal. Even the stars seemed to lean closer to look down at this man, wanting to be the background to his beauty. Hua Cheng could hardly fault them.
“Want to know where my favorite place is, gege?” Hua Cheng smiled lazily.
“I’m sure San Lang will tell me.”
“No, no. Ask me.”
Xie Lian gave a little, dramatic sigh before conceding. “San Lang, will you tell me where your favorite place is?”
“It’s here,” Hua Cheng told him, leaning closer until their foreheads touched. “Anywhere that I’m with gege.”
“That’s so cheesy!” Xie Lian protested, laughing. “Stop talking, San Lang, I’m going to die.”
“Alright, alright,” Hua Cheng relented, leaning down to give Xie Lian a small kiss on his forehead, trailing down to the tip of his nose, and ending at his lips.
"You know I'm being serious, right?" he asked softly, their shared breaths mingling in the barest inch of space between them.
"I know, I know," Xie Lian assured him.
When Hua Cheng pulled away, he could see the pleased upward curve in the corner of Xie Lian’s lips in the dim light.