Work Text:
Mu Qing cannot believe his life has come to this. Today is his thirtieth birthday, and as a result of still being a virgin, he has woken up with magical powers?! And not even cool powers, to make things worse. All he can do is hear others’ thoughts when he touches them. Not quite worth the price of saving himself for the person he loves, if he’s being honest, but when the person he’s been pining over for the last eight years is his painfully straight coworker who’s always antagonizing him, what else is he to do?
The icing on the cake is the fact that the first time he gets to try this power out, it’s while accidentally touching a cashier’s hand, and he has the privilege of hearing her think, Ugh, I accidentally touched him. I can’t . An absolutely lovely start to his thirtieth year and his new life with this unwanted ability.
His appreciation does not increase on the commute to work. All he hears on the subway is negativity, which does nothing to alleviate his irritable mood.
When Mu Qing finally makes it to the office, he sees a sizable crowd waiting to get on the elevators, and he releases a heavy sigh.
“Good morning, loser.”
Mu Qing glares in the direction of the voice that is far too chipper for this time of morning.
“What do you want?” he spits out.
“Oho, someone’s cranky today.” Feng Xin grins at him and Mu Qing has to resist the urge to punch that look off his face.
“Shut up. I just hate how crowded the elevator gets every morning.” Weird psychic ability aside, this is true. He hates crowds.
Feng Xin perks up a little. “I’ll race you up the stairs to the 17th floor then!”
Mu Qing cannot believe his idiocy. Of all people on this planet that he could have fallen for, why is it this dumbass?!
“And then have to deal with being gross and sweaty all day? No thank you.”
Shrugging, Feng Xin replies, “Suit yourself.” With that, he takes his place in front of the elevators, standing in front of Mu Qing like the little shit he is.
Behind him, Mu Qing sulks. Feng Xin is everything he wishes he could be: attractive, talented at his job, beloved by everyone. Not only do the bosses love him, but even the women they work with are constantly swooning over him. Also, considering the fact that he has a child with his ex, he would never wake up with stupid powers on his birthday. Mu Qing tries to burn a hole into the back of his too well-fitting suit with his eyes before an idea occurs to him.
What if he tried his ability on him? One little touch surely wouldn’t hurt him, and maybe he could get some insight to his thoughts?
Before he can chicken out, he reaches forward and places his fingers as lightly as he can on Feng Xin’s shoulder. Finally, something actually helpful that he can use this power on.
I’m so lucky today; I wasn’t expecting to run into each other this morning! It’ll seem suspicious if I stare too much, but just look at that bedhead. It’s so cute.
Mu Qing’s heart drops. So Feng Xin has a crush on someone here at work. That’s exactly what he needed today…
They board the elevator in silence. Unable to stop himself, Mu Qing glances around at the women surrounding them on the elevator, trying to figure out who the lucky woman is. However, none of them seem to be dealing with bedhead. He feels confused, as there is absolutely no way that Feng Xin has a more critical eye than he does when it comes to personal care.
The elevator stops at another floor and someone else steps in, bumping into Mu Qing and pushing him off balance. He catches himself on the wall, and suddenly he sees Feng Xin standing directly in front of him, bracing himself on the wall next to Mu Qing, his arm touching his shoulder.
Mu Qing is unable to break eye contact with him as he hears Feng Xin’s frantic voice inside his head. He’s so close to me! He’s so cute. I love him so much. His hair is actually so messy today. I love seeing him less put together for once. Is this what he would look like if we [redacted]?! Shit, I’m so nervous, what do I do? He’s so cute I can’t think straight. Heh, straight. That’s funny. He’s so cute I could die. I love him so, so much.
Mu Qing is stunned speechless.
*****
He somehow manages to save his mental breakdown until he’s sitting at his desk. There is no way in hell that Feng Xin actually returns his feelings?! He must be hallucinating or something. There’s no other explanation. Why would Feng Xin be in love with him of all people? He could have his pick of anyone, yet Mu Qing seems to be the object of his affections? The more he thinks about it, the more he convinces himself that all this is happening in his head, and he decides to look for a psychiatrist when he gets home from work this evening.
Because Mu Qing is having one of the worst days of his life, his boss tells him that an assignment that he had originally said is due next week is actually due today. This results in having to stay at the office late, which results in having even more time to overthink everything.
After hours and hours of staring at words and numbers on a computer screen and having self-deprecating thoughts swirl through his mind, he suddenly feels something cold on the back of his neck.
He jumps. “What the fuck?”
“Hey, watch your language; we’re at work,” Feng Xin has the audacity to say, despite his own colorful vocabulary. He’s holding a can of coffee, which he playfully places on Mu Qing’s head, his fingers in contact with his hair.
Out loud, Feng Xin asks, “What are you still doing here?” Inside his head, he thinks, He’s such a hard worker. I wish he would ask others for help more often. I worry that he’s not doing enough to take care of himself.
Mu Qing vaguely wonders what kind of psychotic breakdown could be causing his brain to conjure all this up. Could it be that he truly is working himself too hard?
Feng Xin doesn’t wait for an answer. “Fine, I’ll help you, but just this once.” Not just this once. I want to be able to help him every day. I want to be the one he automatically goes to whenever he needs something.
Mu Qing reminds himself that it’s just a hallucination, and forces himself to grab the coffee and reply with a casual, “Thanks.” He hands him a portion of the stack of papers that he still has to go through, and asks, “Could you take care of this, then?”
As Feng Xin reaches for the papers, his fingers brush Mu Qing’s. He has a mole on the nape of his neck. How have I never noticed that before?
Mu Qing has to stifle a gasp. Does he have a mole there?!
What a naughty place for that. I’d love to lick it—”
Screaming internally too loudly to hear the rest of that thought, Mu Qing excuses himself to the restroom as quickly as he can. Once there, he discovers that he really does have a mole on his nape. This can only mean that he is not hallucinating, after all. There goes a whole day of gaslighting himself completely to waste. It turns out that he truly is psychic and that the man he loves truly does return his feelings. Who could have seen this coming? Definitely not Mu Qing, who always does his best to ground himself in reality and not expect anything too fantastic to happen, no matter how deeply he may long for it.
He takes a few minutes to compose himself (and finally fix his messy hair) before he heads back out again, pointedly ignoring the questioning look that Feng Xin sends his way.
With both of them working together, they’re able to finish the work much sooner than if Mu Qing had been alone. As they walk out together, Feng Xin comments casually, maybe a little too casually, “You know, we’re probably the only ones here.”
Mu Qing wonders what’s going on in his head. Is he thinking of making a move and kissing him right then and there? Having a steamy makeout session next to the front desk? Appalled at where his thoughts went, he chides himself. That is most definitely not appropriate workplace behavior, even if they are alone. There are surely security cameras, anyway.
They step outside and are immediately hit with a strong blast of freezing wind. Mu Qing thinks about how strongly he despises the cold, shivering violently.
Noticing this, Feng Xin takes off his own scarf and wraps it around Mu Qing. “Here, take this, idiot.” I’m so glad I remembered my scarf today since he didn’t. I love being able to take care of him.
“I-I’m fine!” Mu Qing rushes to say. He is entirely unprepared to deal with anymore of this secretly soft side of Feng Xin. He needs to go home and take a long, hot shower in order to even begin to process all this. And now he has to wear a scarf that smells like Feng Xin?!
“Shut up.” His eyes are so bloodshot. I wish the boss would stop taking advantage of his diligence. “If you catch a cold, that would just mean more work for me. I’m actually being selfish.”
Mu Qing unsuccessfully tries to stop himself from smiling and has to hide it in the scarf.
He’s so cute he’s so cute he’s so cute he’s so cute he’s so cute—
Mu Qing abruptly starts walking in the direction of the subway in an effort to hide how red his face is. “Thank you for helping me today,” he says quietly.
It’s not often that he thanks Feng Xin, as they tend to spend most of their interactions bickering, but he wants to try to be kinder. He wants so desperately to see where this relationship can go, to see if they can truly be a couple. He wants Feng Xin so badly that his heart aches.
Feng Xin flashes him one of his award-winning smiles. “It’s not a big deal. I didn’t have anything else going on tonight anyway. You owe me though.”
“Is that right?” Mu Qing raises his eyebrow.
“It is. I’ll have you thank me with your body.”
“What?!” Mu Qing practically screeches, completely caught off guard by his forwardness. This is moving even more quickly than he expected.
“What are you imagining, you perv? I meant you should treat me to dinner sometime.”
“What on earth possessed you to word it like that?! Why are you like this?”
Feng Xin laughs far harder than Mu Qing thinks that incredibly dumb joke deserves, but he can’t keep himself from watching, joy bubbling in his chest.
Eventually Feng Xin contains himself and asks, “Hey, by the way, what time does the subway stop running?”
Mu Qing jolts and checks his watch. “Ten minutes ago.” He doesn’t know why he expected anything else. “Great, now I have to pay for a taxi.”
“You could stay at my place tonight.”
Mu Qing’s heart skips a beat and he has to take a moment to admire Feng Xin’s courage. He would never have the guts to make an offer like that to the person he likes.
Because of his distraction, he misses a crack in the sidewalk and trips. Before he can hit the ground though, strong hands catch him and keep him upright.
Staring into his gorgeous brown eyes, he forces out, “I’d l-like that.”
Shit, he keeps stuttering tonight. Embarrassed, he expects Feng Xin to comment on it in his mind, but instead he just sees various images of himself wearing pajamas or wrapped in a towel?! What the fuck?!
Thoroughly flustered, he breaks out of his grip and practically begins speed-walking away.
“Hey, Mu Qing?”
“What.”
“My apartment’s this way.” Mu Qing can hear the smirk in his voice.
“Fuck you.”
“Oh, are you offering?”
Mu Qing’s face burns even more. “Shut up.”
“That’s not a no!” Feng Xin points out merrily, but thankfully he decides to stop torturing his poor coworker and drops the subject, walking the rest of the way in surprisingly comfortable silence.
Feng Xin’s apartment is much nicer than Mu Qing expected. It’s fairly tidy, with some evidence of his six-year-old son, whom he has partial custody of. Somehow it feels just right for Feng Xin, and he starts to relax a little despite his nerves.
Sitting down on the couch, he notices some books on the floor. He picks one up and looks at the title. Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation ?
Feng Xin walks over to him and says, “I just started that a few days ago and haven’t been able to put it down. I’m already on volume 3.”
Mu Qing pictures him reading and his heart warms. “I love these books. Jin Guangyao is my favorite character.”
Feng Xin laughs. “Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me. I can see a couple similarities between you two.”
If it were anyone else, at any other time, Mu Qing would worry that that was intended as an insult. But with what he’s learned today, he gets to dismiss those concerns and bask in a moment of shared interest with his favorite person. Not being constantly paranoid that others are thinking the worst of him is such a nice change of pace.
“Oh, I meant to tell you that you can take the first shower. Here are some pajamas you can borrow.” He hands Mu Qing a set of blue plaid pajamas, and Mu Qing is appreciative of how considerate he is. He wasn’t particularly excited about having to sleep in his work clothes.
His thoughts come to an abrupt halt when his hands brush Feng Xin’s as he takes the pajamas, however. I can’t believe these pajamas I bought so I could fantasize about how cute Mu Qing would look in them are actually coming in handy!
Mu Qing does not know how to even begin to unpack that.
After his shower, he puts on the infamous pajamas, and marvels that Feng Xin got his size exactly right. Should he be concerned?!
“Thanks for letting me take the first shower.” Despite his racing thoughts, he must act normal, whatever that means. Feng Xin doesn’t know that he knows.
“Of course, you’re my guest tonight. Do you want a beer?”
Mu Qing does not think that is a good idea right now. Who knows what he would accidentally reveal if he were inebriated? “I’ll just have some water.”
Feng Xin shrugs. “Suit yourself. I’m going to take my shower now. I set out a futon for you already, and you don’t need to wait up for me if you’re too tired.”
“Thanks. Don’t drown in there.”
Sticking out his tongue in a very mature manner, Feng Xin leaves the room.
With nothing better to do other than snooping, which he just barely manages to suppress the urge to do, he lays down, alone with his thoughts once more. He has absolutely no idea where to go from here, even though now he knows that his feelings are requited. His lack of romantic experience is really coming back to bite him here. How is he supposed to bring this up to Feng Xin without telling him about his power? Any possible conversation starter he can think of just sounds immensely awkward.
When Feng Xin finally comes back to the living room, Mu Qing panics and takes the easy way out, pretending to be asleep. His heart thunders in his chest as he hears the other’s footsteps come closer, stopping right next to him. He doesn’t even dare to breathe as Feng Xin reaches over his head, grabbing his phone. He remains there for a minute longer, apparently watching his guest sleep, like a creep. Mu Qing can’t bring himself to be disturbed though. It’s not like he wouldn’t take advantage of such an opportunity himself.
Unfortunately but not surprisingly, Mu Qing does not fall asleep easily. He can’t stop himself from overthinking every little detail, and ends up staying awake until the early hours of the morning, until exhaustion finally overtakes him and he passes out.
*****
He awakes to the smell of delicious food. After a moment of disorientation during which the events of the previous day hit him like a brick, he sits up, looking around for the source of the smell.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” a familiar voice greets him.
“What are you making?” he asks, foregoing niceties because he has not been awake long enough for that.
“Breakfast, duh.”
Helpful.
Mu Qing groans and drags himself out of the futon, the desire to try Feng Xin’s cooking for the first time overriding his desire to go back to sleep and hope that he wakes up to find that everything that’s happened in the last 24 hours turns out to be a strange dream.
He sits at the table as Feng Xin serves him an impressive assortment of breakfast foods, and his mouth waters. He made all this for him, and first thing in the morning, too? He’s going to end up a spoiled brat at this rate. Luckily for Feng Xin, Mu Qing is more than willing to accept that as his fate.
Now he just has to figure out how to get from point A (knowing that his feelings are mutual) to point B (actually being in a relationship). Fuck, why is this so hard? Mu Qing fervently wishes he could be more open with his feelings.
Apparently Feng Xin takes his contemplative silence as disapproval. Sounding a bit hurt, he asks, “Do you not like it?”
“No, no, I do! This is the best breakfast I’ve ever had in my life,” he rushes to reassure him. He may not know the best way to confess but offending him after he put in all this effort is clearly not the way to go.
“Oh. I’m glad to hear that.” Feng Xin’s smile is so blinding that Mu Qing gets the urge to shield his eyes.
Taking a deep breath in an attempt to steady his nerves, he confesses, “I just… have a lot on my mind right now.”
Feng Xin’s golden brown eyes instantly focus on him. “Oh? Would you like to talk about it?”
Mu Qing takes his time chewing and swallowing before answering. “Say someone wanted to confess their f-feelings for someone, how would you suggest they go about it? Asking for a friend.” He internally cringes at that last part.
Feng Xin thinks for a moment. “That depends. Does this friend know if their feelings are returned?”
Mu Qing nods. “He’s pretty sure they are.” He can’t reveal that he knows for certain because he read his fucking mind. Mu Qing still can’t believe that this is real life.
“Then I would recommend just being direct and telling them how he feels.”
Steeling his nerves, Mu Qing forces himself to say calmly and clearly, “I like you.”
“Yeah, just like that.”
Speechless yet again, all Mu Qing can do is helplessly stare at this complete idiot who somehow owns his entire heart. He may be a morosexual. He files that away for further examination later.
“Oh. Wait, shit, is it me?!”
Mu Qing rolls his eyes. “Obviously, you dumbass.”
“Hey, you can’t tell me you like me and then insult me a moment later!” he cries incredulously.
“Oh yeah? You should have included that in your advice then.”
“I didn’t think I needed to?!”
Mu Qing stands. “It’s okay, I know that thinking is hard for you.”
“Hey, is this a confession or a bullying session?”
Walking over to Feng Xin, he cups his face in his hands and leans down. “Why can’t it be both?” he asks in a sultry voice.
He can hear Feng Xin’s thoughts running a mile a minute. Is this really happening I can’t believe he just told me he likes me I love him so so much is he going to kiss me gods I want to kiss him so bad please kiss me right now or I’ll perish.
Mu Qing’s heart swells with love for this overdramatic dork. Unable to wait for a moment longer, he kisses him. Feng Xin’s thoughts go silent as he’s overwhelmed with emotion, which Mu Qing can feel himself. He’s never felt so thoroughly loved before, and he melts against him, kissing him deeper. It’s his first kiss ever, and he’s so grateful that he gets to experience it with Feng Xin, the love of his life.
For the first time since he turned thirty, Mu Qing feels ready to take on the next year of his life, especially if it involves more kisses like this.