Work Text:
The current time is 1:27 AM. The task is to apprehend, not kill, the target.
Xiao Lan and Huang Shi sit in the booth next to the target; a booth filled with night club girls. While Xiao Lan sits alone, glass of whiskey in hand, he watches as girls hang by Ah Huang’s sides. They play rock paper scissors to see who drinks next, but every time Ah Huang loses and a girl feeds him a drink, something in Xiao Lan’s gaze sharpens.
Huang Shi, skin glistening and flushed red, not from the alcohol, but from the girls. Xiao Lan’s gaze lingers on the droplets of sweat on his neck, or the way his uncovered arms bend and move; the way his adam's apple fluctuates with each swing of the glass, and the way he laughs like there's not a care in the world. Xiao Lan takes it all in.
Although focusing on one person, Xiao Lan is keenly aware of their surroundings. It's something he's been doing for years, after all.
He gets up after the target, and naturally, Huang Shi does as well, to the dismay of the girls, but to the satisfaction of Xiao Lan.
“Are you sure it's him?” Huang Shi asks, voice drowned out by the club music.
Xiao Lan almost embraces him from behind. Passing Huang Shi his gloves, he answers: “Yes, that's him.”
His long but calloused fingers pass through the gloves—they fit just right. The duo follows the target outside and ambushes him—a few punches thrown around—and next thing's next, he's lying in the trunk of their car tied and taped up, unconscious.
The trunk closes with a loud thump. It's amazing how Xiao Bai stays asleep without earplugs.
“After we finish this, wanna grab a drink?” Huang Shi invites.
Xiao Lan removes the cigarette in his mouth.
“You haven't drunk enough?”
“Of course not—” Huang Shi waves his hand around with a little snicker “—if I get serious, none of those beauties can match me—”
The reminder strikes Xiao Lan in the heart, but he keeps it down as usual. The reminder that he's never been a beauty to Huang Shi.
He reaches out a hand, excuse already in mind. He rubs Huang Shi's clean cheek with his thumb. There's a slight jump from the sudden touch, and Ah Huang backs into the car.
“What's this? Something on my face?” He feigns an unfaltered persona.
“Mn. There's lipstick,” Xiao Lan lies without batting an eye.
Huang Shi's cheeks turn red as he mumbles. Nothing he says or anything on his body goes unnoticed by Xiao Lan.
He grabs Huang Shi's wrists, preventing him from wiping his own cheek down. If anyone's going to do it after today, Xiao Lan will.
He leans in, their noses just a breath away as his hand rubs the soft skin of Huang Shi's face. There's an awkward, still air between them, whether from the close vicinity or from the periodic rubbing.
This close, Xiao Lan can feel their breaths intertwine; their warmth shared; and Huang Shi's eyes trying to look away in fear of starting something new.
Perhaps a minute passes. Xiao Lan doesn't know. He usually suppresses himself, only allowing small, silent gestures to shine through.
“Is…is it gone yet?”
“No,” he answers almost immediately.
Any normal person wouldn't allow him to continue, yet Huang Shi always has. Always, while taking on Xiao Lan’s gaze but never understanding the meaning behind it.
But truly, he's never let himself this close before, and for this long. The obvious truth is that he's jealous, but not of the boss this time.
“Is it lip tint or something?”
“...no.”
“What? Then what is it?”
Xiao Lan grabs his head with both hands and straightens it.
“Stop moving.”
Huang Shi freezes up against their black car. He periodically glances at Xiao Lan, who has never stopped staring at his face. Or at him in general.
Huang Shi is sure it's been at least 5 minutes by now.
“Stop, it's gone.”
He holds Xiao Lan’s wrist. Unbeknownst to him, the tips of his ears are red. Xiao Lan notices. He notices everything about Huang Shi, even things he doesn't know about himself.
Xiao Lan moves to rub Huang Shi's ears between his fingers. Huang Shi spasms in his hold, pupils dilated from the surprise of such an intimate action.
“What…” he tries to find the correct words. “What are you doing?”
“There's lipstick here, too.” Xiao Lan says calmly.
“There's none.” He would've noticed if any of the girls kissed his ears.
Xiao Lan stays silent with his usual aloof expression on. He steps closer. Their bodies press against each other. They can feel each other's warm skin beneath the thin fabrics of their shirts acting as a barrier.
“Hey, you don't have to keep…” rubbing. It's nothing like an annoying rub that just irritates someone's skin. It's slow, delicate, and sensual. Xiao Lan moves decisively. His touch expressed a certain emotion Huang Shi can't quite get.
Huang Shi is as backed into the car as he can be. In fact, he's bent so far back he might as well lay on the roof of the car.
“Don't fall.” Xiao Lan holds his head up, straightening it again. He takes a few ticks to speak again. “Just hold onto me.”
They stare directly at each other. A drop of sweat drips down Huang Shi’s chin as his arm, unbeknownst to him, cascades around Xiao Lan’s shoulder. His other arm props him up against the car. His eyes quiver. He's not sure what his body is thinking, or if it's even thinking at all. He quickly lets go and simply uses the car.
Xiao Lan continues. He inches closer, face now just a few centimeters away from Huang Shi's. They never break contact.
A faint gist of wind blows against them, swaying their soft hair in the air for only a second. In that second, Huang Shi closes his eye closest to the wind.
Xiao Lan holds his hand up. He shields Huang Shi's face with such an a serious expression, neither of them are sure what mood they're supposed to be in.
“....” Huang Shi gulps quietly. “You…you know, something similar happened to the boss…”
“Before he went into hiding?” Xiao Lan doesn't move.
“Way earlier!” Huang Shi's eyes flicker around with no real destination. “We were also at a club and surrounded by girls…”
A low grunt comes from Xiao Lan's throat, indicating he was listening.
“And…he came out with…” Huang Shi peeks at Xiao Lan. His eyes—Xiao Lan’s eyes—were earnest, barely hiding the emotions behind them. There was a lot. A lot Huang Shi isn't ready to unpack, he thinks. If he were to accept those emotions, what happens?
He…he likes Boss. He likes the boss, but Xiao Lan's stare is stirring butterflies in his stomach he's desperately trying to avoid. It always has. And he's always tried to ignore it.
His eyes flicker again. This time, they land on Xiao Lan's lips, oh so close to his.
“Lipstick…” his eyes stay on Xiao Lan's soft looking lips. “On his cheek.”
“So?”
“So then I…” he's thrown completely off. So off. He's never been this distraught next to Xiao Lan before. For a moment, Huang Shi thinks.
Maybe he can't ignore it anymore.
He nervously surges forward, finally locking lips with Xiao Lan after all those years of purposeful ignorance.
He retracts his head just a second later and sees an expression of complete surprise on Xiao Lan's face, something rare than winning the lottery.
“Al—Alright! The lipstick is off, right—?” He fidgets around, face flushed.
“Be quiet for a second.”
Before he an utter any excuses, Xiao Lan closes the space between them and they kiss again. Their soft, warm lips press against each other. Xiao Lan lays it on strong. Everything he has built over the years breaks, leaving nothing but a strong desire to relight the fire inside him.
He doesn't hope for anything after this. Maybe a kiss here or there to satisfy some lust, but nothing more. He thinks there will be less, even. That's why he gives it his all into this kiss. They part not even for a second before he's coming back for more. Kiss, kiss, kiss. They don't even care that Xiao Bai is asleep in the car they're kissing against.
“Open your mouth.”
They're not children. They should've started with this. Huang Shi does as told. He doesn't let Xiao Lan get the last laugh, though. He leans in and enters Xiao Lan's mouth with his tongue. A small groan escapes his throat as he sucks on Xiao Lan's tongue.
Xiao Lan isn't one to be defeated easily, nor is he one to let Huang Shi of all people best him. He grabs the back of Huang Shi's head, grasping his hair and deepening the kiss to where their tongues are forced against each other. His other hand trails down to Huang Shi's waist and grabs it. He feels an alarmed shudder run through Huang Shi's body.
Huang Shi naturally clutches Xiao Lan's back. He's not sure if what he's doing is right or will even go anywhere, but it feels right. Head cradled by the hand he was always apprehensive of, he gives it his all into the kiss. He licks the roof of Xiao Lan's mouth and feels the other stiffen. He wants to do it again, but Xiao Lan's tongue moves to shove him down, and it works to keep him there.
“H—hey…” He gasps between kisses. The wet slurps tickle his ears. “I said hey, damnit!”
He forcibly pulls Xiao Lan away from him, but not too far. They stand together, slightly hunched like they're spilling secrets, collecting their breaths. He's not sure if it's pure audacity or not, but Xiao Lan asks for one more kiss in a low, husky voice that sends shivers up his spine.
They kiss once more. It's chaste. A long kiss that only involves their lips slotting against each other like perfect puzzle pieces as Xiao Lan holds him close.
It's another awkwardly sensual stare down when they part.
“...do you…” Huang Shi clears his throat with a blush so evident he can be seen from a mile away. “Want to come over?”
He feels Xiao Lan stiffen, but return to normal in mere seconds. In fact, he feels more relaxed than before.
“Get in the car.” He finally lets go of Huang Shi.
First, they have to wake up Xiao Bai.