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“Mu Qing.”
Mu Qing is getting good at ignoring his roommate. One hand lifts to turn up the volume on his headphones, and the other continues leisurely flipping pages.
“A’Qing. I know you can hear me.”
He’s right, unfortunately. Mu Qing hammers the volume up button.
Hua Cheng reaches out and casually flicks Mu Qing’s headphones off his head. They nearly fall to the floor, but Mu Qing is quicker.
“Watch it! Prick,” Mu Qing snaps, pulling his device back into safety. Hua Cheng just smirks before his face settles into something more serious.
“A’Qing. I need your help.”
“No, thanks. Now, can I go back to reading?”
“Date me.”
The words are so sudden that Mu Qing freezes. He isn’t sure what to make of this particular turn of events. Hua Cheng’s lips have quirked up once again, and Mu Qing knows there’s something else to it.
“Do you mind elaborating?” Mu Qing prods bitingly, and Hua Cheng nods.
“Of course! Good to see you’re paying attention now,” Hua Cheng says dryly, and Mu Qing is overcome with the urge to smack Hua Cheng.
Hua Cheng barrels on, ignoring Mu Qing’s murderous expression. “So. You know how I do covers and music things sometimes?”
“Obviously. You never shut the fuck up about how many followers you have and how many views you get,” Mu Qing reminds him. He notices that his hands are still trembling and quickly busies himself with closing his book and moving it to the side.
“Yeah. Anyway, I came across a little problem.”
“Can’t imagine what that looks like for you. I was under the impression that your life was perfect,” Mu Qing says.
To his surprise, Hua Cheng looks genuinely annoyed. “It is great, but not bullshit like this.”
“What happened?”
Hua Cheng heaves a dramatic sigh, back to his over-the-top personality and exaggeration. “This girl… Well, she’s been a fan for a long time. All the way back to my very oldest videos.”
“I don’t see how this is a problem.”
“I’m getting to it!” Hua Cheng insists. “So, some of my fans were discussing whether or not I had a significant other. I don’t share a whole lot about my life, so there’s a lot up for debate. And that’s when this girl stepped in.”
Another flash of annoyance, which he masks quickly. “Like I said, she’s been there since the very start. Which apparently meant that she has screenshots and audio from my old videos. The ones I took down a few years ago.”
“Mhm,” Mu Qing hums, if only to fill the slightly awkward silence that descends briefly over them.
“So. In response to all of the questions and discussions, which I always ignore because I don’t care enough, she told everyone that she was dating me. And used the pictures and audios she had as proof.”
Mu Qing snorts. Apparently, that’s the wrong reaction, because Hua Cheng shoots him a withering glare. “Sorry, but why would that bother you? People will get tired of the talk at some point, especially if you don’t say anything.”
Hua Cheng winces. “That’s the thing. I may have said something.”
“Why would you do that? I thought you were smarter than that!”
“I don’t know, okay? She was just really pissing me off. I couldn’t take it, so I snapped back. Does that really matter?”
“So. You want me to pretend I’m dating you to prove… what, exactly? Won’t it just seem like you’re cheating on that girl, or something?”
Hua Cheng shakes his head. “It isn’t your job to try to figure out logistics. Leave it to me. Will you just agree to go on one little date with me? Literally one. It’s not that difficult, you coward.”
“Go fuck yourself,” Mu Qing replies flippantly, waving him off and grabbing his headphones to place them over his head once again.
Hua Cheng is quicker, seizing Mu Qing’s wrists. “Wait. Please.”
Please. That word startles Mu Qing slightly. He blinks up at Hua Cheng, feeling the other man’s fingers tighten around his skin.
“Mu Qing. Just one. That’s it. And I’ll handle everything after that, but I just need one. Fucking. Date. I’m begging you.”
It’s a little embarrassing to see Hua Cheng acting like this. The begging, the genuine desperation in his eyes… it’s a bit too much.
So Mu Qing yanks his hands away, shoving Hua Cheng further. “Okay, yes, fine. One date. I’ll do it. Now, would you fucking leave me alone so I can get this reading done? The final is in two weeks.”
“Thank you, A’Qing.”
“Whatever.”
Mu Qing has no idea what he’s just done.
What he’s done, apparently, is land himself in a poorly lit party full of people he doesn’t know, standing next to his roommate, whom he doesn’t even like that much.
…Right?
Hua Cheng hums softly along with the beat of the music. Which is incredibly loud, so Mu Qing doesn’t know how he can hear Hua Cheng still, only that he can and it’s so endearing that he wants to rip his hair out.
He’s perfectly in time and in tune. Truly, nobody should be able to do that. Especially not someone who looks the way Hua Cheng is looking right now.
Mu Qing would never think that Hua Cheng looked like an angel. That couldn't be farther from the truth. And to say he looked like a devil would be even more corny, but much closer to what his thoughts were.
Mu Qing would also never be caught dead thinking about the sharp planes of Hua Cheng’s face and the way the corners of his mouth curve upwards ever so slightly in a perpetual smirk and the fact that he looks damn fucking good in red and black and how bright his crimson eye looks and—
It must be the darkness. A combination of dim lighting and alcohol, that’s the only logical explanation for this.
Hua Cheng seems to catch Mu Qing staring, the smirk already set on his lips growing wider. “Stand a little closer, Mu Qing.”
“We’re fucking standing close enough, thanks,” Mu Qing responds smoothly, turning to look away. Hua Cheng stops him, pulling him closer until they’re pressed up against one another. Mu Qing’s face feels hot.
“W-what do you think you’re doing?”
“How will anyone believe we’re dating if you’re always standing so far away?” Hua Cheng replies, tucking a stray hair behind Mu Qing’s ear. His hand lingers there for a moment, flicking at Mu Qing’s earring. “We really need to sell this, darling .”
Mu Qing shivers. Probably from disgust. “Can’t they just take our word for it?”
“Of course not. Face me, and look a little more willing.”
Suppressing an exasperated sigh, Mu Qing angles his body towards Hua Cheng. His eyes gleam with mirth.
“Good. Look up towards me,” Hua Cheng continues, placing a single finger under Mu Qing’s chin, tilting it up slightly. Mu Qing follows his movements, not daring to breathe.
“Perfect. Now kiss me.”
His body reacted before his brain did, jerking back. “What? Fuck no.”
“Hmm? You told me you’d help me. So help me.” Hua Cheng’s voice is low and soft, as gentle as Mu Qing’s ever heard him. It makes his heart skip a beat.
“No, thanks. Not this.”
“Why not? Is kissing me so horrible?” Hua Cheng wheedles, gazing down at Mu Qing pleadingly.
“I’d rather not kiss someone who’s doing it just for his own gain, but thanks for the offer,” Mu Qing says sarcastically.
“Hmm? Who’s saying I’m doing this for my own gain?” Hua Cheng whispers, leaning down closer. His mouth is inches from Mu Qing’s; he can feel the warmth of his every word. “Unless, by my own gain , you mean I’m doing this because I want to.”
“W-what?” Mu Qing’s brain must’ve fried. What were in those drinks he’d had before?
“Kiss me, A’Qing.”
Annoyance flares through him suddenly. “Oh, so you want to claim that you want to kiss me, and you’re sitting here telling me to do it? Hard pass, Hua Cheng.”
Hua Cheng shrugs, smiling. “Fine, I’ll do it myself.”
He leans closer, taking only a few moments to gently place a hand behind Mu Qing’s neck, angling him towards him. Mu Qing catches the hint of the nervousness in his eyes, or maybe it’s just the strange flashing lights.
Then Hua Cheng is kissing him, and his mind goes blank of anything that’s happening around them.
His lips are soft and cold and almost insistent, pressing against Mu Qing’s as if he’s a starving man. Mu Qing’s soft gasp gets swallowed by Hua Cheng’s mouth. He feels a bit like he’s both being drowned by Hua Cheng and he’s being saved, clinging to his frame as if it’s his last lifeline.
Slowly, Hua Cheng pulls away. His lips are an even more vibrant red than before. One corner is bleeding, and Mu Qing realizes belatedly that he’d bitten Hua Cheng, the taste of metal on his tongue.
Hua Cheng is looking at him like he wants him, but the only thing he says is, “Thank you, Mu Qing.”
Not A’Qing . Just Mu Qing.
So… Hua Cheng… lied to him?
But then… what the fuck was that kiss?
He can’t wrap his head around anything that just happened.
So Mu Qing opts to give up, leaning back against the wall once again, sipping from the stupid red cup he’d gotten before. It’s all a game to Hua Cheng. It shouldn’t bother Mu Qing in the slightest.
He knows this. What he doesn’t know is why he’s feeling so hurt.