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Jingyi stretched as he finally got out of class, feeling completely exhausted. "No offense to your step-dad, A-Yuan, but if I have to sit through one more lecture with him, I might actually turn to stone."
Sizhui gave him a half-hearted chuckle before correcting him, "Ah, A-Yi, you're mistaken. He's not my stepdad—"
"HAH?! But he's so whipped for your old man!" Jingyi exclaimed.
Sizhui resisted a face-palm and sighed softly, taking Jingyi's hand and pressing his lips to the back of it. Jingyi stared in stunned silence, then blushed furiously and turned away.
"Si-Sizhui..." Jingyi whispered, barely able to meet those honey-colored eyes. It was hard, especially when the other boy was so close. Sizhui chuckled contentedly, but before he could savor the moment, an exaggerated cough interrupted them, immediately pulling Jingyi out of his shy, bashful state.
"You spoil him too much! Geez, he’s going to be even less bearable!" Jin Ling complained. With that, the young mistress’s hair was already being yanked, and screams filled the hallway. "GET OFF ME, YOU ANNOYING PIG!"
Seeing the fight break out in the hallway, it wouldn’t be long before someone—probably a teacher—would come and break them up.
"Guys, please! We don’t need to fight. Can’t we just talk?" Sizhui tried to calm them, but neither of the two acknowledged him, leaving him with no choice but to resort to his dad’s favorite trick. "Ah, uncle Jiang!" he called out.
Jin Ling immediately straightened up, recognizing the name. His uncle didn’t come to the school often, but on occasion, he dropped by.
After a minute of frantic searching, Jin Ling realized there was no uncle. He shot Sizhui a hurt glare: You tricked me?
You were breaking the rules, Sizhui responded with an apologetic smile. He really meant no harm, but he wasn’t willing to get in trouble for their usual antics. If he did, his dad would have to pick them up—and considering who would be overseeing detention, it was practically a planned trap!
---
Finally freed from their studies, the group discussed where to go. Zizhen had to be home early, so it had to be near a bus stop. Jin Ling would be picked up by his dad after work, so it had to be near a parking space. Jingyi stayed in the dorms, so his curfew was 6 PM, with lights out at 8. Sizhui had a laid-back dad and just had to be home by midnight, as long as he informed him.
"How about we go to the McDonald's down the road? There's parking, the bus station is across the street, and Jingyi likes to run," Sizhui suggested.
"No, I don’t!"
"You have the fastest time on the 500-meter dash—"
"Only because someone let an idiot with a wet towel into the gym! No way I’m getting hit again!" Jingyi grumbled.
The group erupted into laughter, except for Jin Ling, who huffed and looked away, muttering about how he totally could have beaten Jingyi. But they all knew the best motivator was fear—or more specifically, the adrenaline coursing through their veins.
"Jin Ling, you shouldn't feel bad that you were sick that week. If you’d been there, we might still be caring for a bruised mess," Zhizhen chimed in neutrally. It only earned him a scowl from Ling.
"Let’s just get going! This school makes my skin crawl. I don’t even want to think about the horrible tests coming up..." Jin Ling shuddered, whether forced or natural.
With a cool breeze blowing, the group huddled together for warmth. Jingyi, always daring, jumped onto Jin Ling’s back, only to find himself hanging upside down as Jin Ling spun him. "You’re such a brat. Maybe if I shake you enough, your brain will rattle into place and help us—"
A loud clang echoed on the street, silencing Jin Ling's rant. Slowly, he turned his head to see Jingyi clutching his head in pain, trying to suppress curse words that even QiRen probably hadn’t heard.
Jin Ling went pale and gently put him down. "If he gets dumber, we’ll say he was always like this," he muttered.
Yuan sighed as he scooped Jingyi into his arms. "You two are going to get each other killed before we even become seniors. I’d prefer to graduate with people, not urns."
Zhizhen handed Yuan a cold water bottle. "Ah, you read my mind!" Yuan said, relieved to have at least one calm person to rely on in this group of... what were they? Huskies? Cats? He’d have to ask his dad for his opinion on them later.
Meanwhile, Jingyi was reciting the Gusu school rules like mantras to keep himself from doing something he’d regret. "Ugh, you’re being dramatic. It couldn’t have hurt that mu—ACK!" Ling was cut off when the water bottle was thrown at him.
"I should report you for domestic abuse!" Jingyi fumed.
"Oh, like hell you will! It wasn’t on purpose!" Jin Ling retorted.
"Oh, that's rich—you hit my head on a pole! If I get dumber, it’s on you!"
"You were already stupid!" Jin Ling shot back.
The two quieter boys shared a look before each went to one of their bickering partners, tugging their ears.
"You’re both causing a scene."
"And we’re still in our school uniforms. If the parents don’t hound us for embarrassing the family, QiRen will definitely scold us for ruining the school’s reputation."
They shared a look, dread filling their faces as they imagined their principal’s punishment. Detention suddenly seemed like a luxury compared to writing the school rules five times over.
Finally, Jin Ling came over, having freed himself from Yuan’s ear hold. He crouched next to Jingyi, who was still pouting, and let out a long exhale. "If... you stop pouting, I’ll buy you some fries. And chicken nuggets."
Jingyi paused, as if weighing his options. "With dipping sauce...?"
"Wha—You—! Ugh, yes, you can get two dipping sauces."
Jingyi’s victorious expression was painfully obvious, despite the lingering pain. Jin Ling groaned internally. How had this person become one of his partners?
They got back on their feet and headed to McDonald's, where Jin Ling, reluctantly, paid for the entire feast. Soon, they were kings of burgers and fries, and Jingyi, happily lost in the moment, devoured his food with great enthusiasm.
Ling seemed quite happy as well, leaning forward until his hand collided with the boy's head ."Are you satisfied now, you got fed like a little piggy."
Jingyi narrowed his eyes, but the sweetness in Jin Ling’s voice made him hesitate. Deciding to let it slide, since he’d gotten a free meal, Jingyi licked the flavor off his lips and smiled. "Very much." He stood up from his seat and gave Jin Ling a quick peck on the cheek, before sitting back down and resumed eating.
The sugar daddy of the group , just as his phone buzzed. His dad was waiting in the parking lot. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."
Before he could leave, Zhizhen yelped, "A-Ling, wait!" Jin Ling looked up only to have a kiss stolen from him making him go red in the face.
"Thanks for treating us to this beautiful lunch, next time we'll treat you," Zhizhen added.
Yuan not wanting to miss a beat he kissed A-Ling's other neglected cheek. "I agree. Let us treat you next time." Feeling that he was going to get overwhelmed by his boyfriends if he didn't leave soon, he waved his hand dismissing them while he ran out nearly tripping over his own legs.
Jingyi looked up from his fries tilting his head with a:what was that? look on his face,the two gave him a content smile signing pleased with their chaotic partners. "Nothing A-Yi~"
---
Jin Ling slammed the car door and hid in the back seat, covering his face. His father, Jin ZiXuan, ever the patient man (trained personally by his brothers-in-law), glanced back at him through the rearview mirror.
"A-Ling, did something happen?"
Jin Ling shook his head, taking deep breaths to calm down. "Those idiots are just too much sometimes."
His father, understanding his pain on a spiritual level, patted his shoulder. "It will get better... You just have to pray."
"Pray? Why—"
"Because hoping just isn’t enough sometimes.