Work Text:
If you asked Cheng Xiaoshi what his favorite part of the holiday season was, it was when he had to put up decorations.
Sure, looking at bright and cheerful decorations was great, but Cheng Xiaoshi preferred the process of hanging them up. Taking out the box from the attic, unfurling each garland, wiping each bauble, finding the right spots on the wall to hang up each wreath, strategically positioning each mistletoe… ahem.
With each decoration properly placed, Cheng Xiaoshi felt more of the holiday cheer filling his chest. It finally hit him that the holidays were here. He could spend the whole day at home, wake up late, bicker with Qiao Ling, and when he was small, he could forget about the bullies around the neighborhood…
This year, another source of cheer came to him. When he and Lu Guang finished putting up the decorations, it dawned on him that this year, he would spend his first winter holiday with Lu Guang.
Cheng Xiaoshi stepped back, admiring the mistletoe under the doorway to the sunroom. He sneakily glanced at Lu Guang from the corner of his eye. His chest was bursting with feelings he’d been harboring for months.
He vowed Lu Guang would return those feelings by the end of the holiday.
That was over a week ago. The winter holidays had come and gone, and in the blink of an eye, the holiday decorations had been taken down.
Cheng Xiaoshi always lamented this. Decorations had started appearing at shopping malls and stores in early December and gradually grew more festive as the month progressed. But once you hit January, all decorations were gone, as if they vanished with a snap of a finger. Heck, Cheng Xiaoshi was starting to see Chinese New Year decorations sold in stores. Who decided that? It was two months away!
If Time Photo Studio were only a house, Cheng Xiaoshi would keep the decorations up until February. But they were a business, no matter how small, so there were appearances to keep. Damn it.
Cheng Xiaoshi huffed and puffed as he sluggishly took down each wreath from the doors. Somewhere from the stairs, Lu Guang was wiping down the stair handle. Christmas music was playing from the cheap Bluetooth speakers—a tint of holiday vibes that Cheng Xiaoshi refused to let go just yet.
He watched as Lu Guang took down every wreath and bauble, every garland and ribbon. With every decoration Lu Guang took down, the studio returned to its humble and bland state.
Mild dread piled in Cheng Xiaoshi’s stomach with every accessory that Lu Guang returned to its box. Resignation filled his chest as the holiday season came to an end, and soon they would return to their busy lives of classes, work, and dives. Hopelessness crashed down on him when he realized he’d failed to get Lu Guang to like him this holiday, the way he silently promised he’d do.
“I’m done cleaning the front.” Lu Guang’s voice suddenly came from behind him.
Cheng Xiaoshi jolted. “That’s quick.”
“You’re just slow.”
Cheng Xiaoshi had no reply to that, so he could only huff. He was in charge of taking down the decorations in the sunroom and the hallway, but one look down the latter told him that Lu Guang had taken his portion. There were no more wreaths on the walls. No more small gingerbread cookie figurines on the counter. No more flashy baubles on the windows.
Lu Guang looked around the sunroom. “Were you even working?”
“I was!” Cheng Xiaoshi said. Lu Guang raised an eyebrow at him. “…Sort of. Hey, I took down one thing!” He held up the tiny mistletoe in his hand. It had been hanging on the doorway to the sunroom. But then there were still the wreaths on the glass panes behind the couch, the tiny Santa figurines on the coffee table, the red and green pillowcases, and the biggest chore of all, the medium-sized Christmas tree in the corner of the room.
Lu Guang scoffed. “You’d keep the decorations all year round if you could. So lazy.”
“It’s not laziness,” Cheng Xiaoshi sighed.
“What, then?”
“I just…” Cheng Xiaoshi scratched his head, messing up his already unkempt hair. “I don’t like a place looking so bland when it used to be festive! Lu Guang, it’s your first time spending the holidays here. Don’t you think the studio looked great with the decorations?”
Lu Guang tilted his head. “Well, sure.”
“So,” Cheng Xiaoshi extended his arms and gestured at the sunroom, “it’s a waste to take them down! Don’t you prefer it when the sunroom looks like this?”
“I don’t prefer it one way or the other…”
“…How come?” Did Lu Guang not like the sunroom at all? Even though he—they—spent so much time here? Eating breakfast, doing dives, or just idle moments when Cheng Xiaoshi was playing games, and Lu Guang was reading, when they didn’t feel like going to bed just yet…
“I mean, it’s still the same place, decorations or not.”
Cheng Xiaoshi’s shoulders slumped. “So it doesn’t matter to you…?”
The sunroom was a special place for Cheng Xiaoshi. He and Qiao Ling spent most of their time here as children. This was where they did their homework. This was where they set up their electric stove and ate hotpot. This was where they spent every Christmas and New Year, except this time, Qiao Ling was on vacation.
And of course, this was where many memories with Lu Guang were made. Decorating it made it all the more special. Like the memories in his mind were brighter, happier, and warmer, as if they were seen through a more festive lens.
But it seemed like Lu Guang was too pragmatic for these things. Cheng Xiaoshi deflated, looking at Lu Guang with droopy eyes. His thread of hope was hanging close to a pair of open scissors.
Surprisingly, Lu Guang said, “Actually, it matters a lot.”
Hope bloomed in Cheng Xiaoshi’s chest. He was much too familiar with this feeling. He wasn’t familiar with restraining it, though, and he had to start learning how to do that. Cheng Xiaoshi was an optimistic person, but even his heart could only handle so much uncertainty. “What do you mean?” asked Cheng Xiaoshi through squinting eyes.
“The sunroom means a lot to me,” said Lu Guang, looking around. “As I’m sure it does to you.”
“O-oh…”
“So, no matter how you want to decorate it, it’s still an important place. Be it bland or festive, it won’t change how I feel about it.”
“And how do you feel about it?’ Cheng Xiaoshi asked, much too quickly. His heart was thumping rapidly. Hold it, Xiaoshi, he told himself. Hold it…
He watched Lu Guang with an intense stare. He watched Lu Guang turn his gaze away and cupped a fist in front of his mouth to clear his throat. He noticed how that hand distracted him from looking at Lu Guang’s cheeks, which he swore were dusted with a light shade of pink. A split second later, he watched Lu Guang turn away and walk past him with a clipped, “So nosy. Just take down the decorations, or so help me.”
So quick, so subtle. It finally hit Cheng Xiaoshi that Lu Guang was always like this. He held Cheng Xiaoshi’s hand as he guided him on the ice rink, then suddenly skated away. During that photoshoot break up the mountains, he hid his face behind the thermos and took sip after sip of hot chocolate to avoid replying to Cheng Xiaoshi. He read in silence in their shared lodge but sneaked out to get lunch and dinner for them both. When he caught a cold, he was fussy and refused to take medicine, but he fussed over Cheng Xiaoshi in turn, making sure he ate enough of the hotpot.
Cheng Xiaoshi was used to grand gestures of joy and affection. Qiao Ling was the same, and since Lu Guang was the first person to ever be this close to him since his sister, he expected Lu Guang to be like that, too.
Cheng Xiaoshi chuckled to himself and lightly hit the side of his own head. So, he had been the dense one, after all.
He pocketed the mistletoe he had been holding, then joined Lu Guang in taking down the decorations.
With Lu Guang’s help, Cheng Xiaoshi cleared the sunroom in record time. Not that he was properly cleaning in the first place. Cheng Xiaoshi mainly held the box of decorations and followed Lu Guang wherever he stood. “So you don’t have to drag the box from one spot to the next!” was his useless reasoning. Lu Guang rolled his eyes but let him stand and chatter on and on about everything and nothing, so Cheng Xiaoshi considered that a win.
“There, that should be all…” Lu Guang mused. He peered into the box in Cheng Xiaoshi’s hands. “Hm. I think something’s missing.”
“What is?”
Lu Guang rifled through the small items in the box. “A mistletoe, I think. I remember there are three in the sunroom.”
Inwardly, Cheng Xiaoshi smiled. Lu Guang might think decorations in the sunroom didn’t make a difference, yet he noticed something that small, anyway. So adorable. Just what was Cheng Xiaoshi supposed to do with him?!
“Oh? I’ll check later,” said Cheng Xiaoshi, keeping his voice level. Just then, the phone in his pocket buzzed. “That’s the food delivery. Can you pick it up?” Cheng Xiaoshi had ordered takeout because they were too busy cleaning in the morning.
Lu Guang hummed and left. Cheng Xiaoshi placed the box on the floor, then walked to the doorway of the sunroom and watched his back. He grinned openly, all lingering doubt and confusion seeping away.
When Lu Guang returned minutes later, Cheng Xiaoshi waited until he placed the food on the low table before saying, “Lu Guang, I found the mistletoe.”
“Oh?” Lu Guang turned his head. “Where?”
“Here.”
Cheng Xiaoshi took out the mistletoe from his pocket. Before Lu Guang could open his mouth to complain, Cheng Xiaoshi crossed the distance between them with a few quick strides. He stopped inches from Lu Guang’s face, holding the mistletoe above their heads.
Lu Guang’s cat-like pupils dilated. Those gray irises drew Cheng Xiaoshi even closer.
“Sorry,” Cheng Xiaoshi chuckled in a low voice. “Must’ve misplaced it.”
“You—”
“Before I realized it, it’s already here.” Cheng Xiaoshi shook the mistletoe, causing the fake leaves to brush against one another. The crisp and dry sound seemed to reverberate through the room. The only thing louder than that was his own heartbeat, pounding in his ears. “You know what they say about standing under the mistletoe. We can’t have the year start with bad luck, right?”
Lu Guang scoffed. A small smile played on his lips, even as a shade of pink tinted his cheeks. “I don’t believe in that sort of thing.”
“But I do!” Cheng Xiaoshi pouted. “Lu Guang, save me before I save myself!”
“And how exactly do you—mmph!”
Cheng Xiaoshi couldn’t hold back anymore. He leaned in and pressed his lips against Lu Guang’s own.
For once, he wished he had followed Lu Guang’s nagging advice to read more books so he could describe Lu Guang’s lips better. But all he could think of was how soft Lu Guang’s lips were. How sweet they somehow tasted to his own. And how the contact sent a tingle down his spine and a burst of warmth in his chest.
Cheng Xiaoshi pulled back before the affection consumed him entirely. He watched in glee as Lu Guang stared at him with wide eyes and slightly parted lips. His heart was close to bursting out of his ribcage.
“Bad luck avoided!” Cheng Xiaoshi grinned. “Thanks, Guang Guang.”
Lu Guang inhaled deeply. Cheng Xiaoshi could just hear the gears in his brain turning. Those grey eyes now bore a storm of emotions. But before Cheng Xiaoshi could begin to decipher it, Lu Guang leaned in. He barely got a glimpse of Lu Guang’s smile before he felt a warm pair of lips against his own.
The mistletoe fell from his hand, and Cheng Xiaoshi let his arm drop. He placed both hands on Lu Guang’s waist. Lu Guang circled his own arms around Cheng Xiaoshi’s neck.
The kiss was longer now. Lu Guang initiating it was surprising enough, but what shocked Cheng Xiaoshi even more was how eager he was. Like he had been waiting for it. Craved it for as long as Cheng Xiaoshi had, or maybe even longer. For how long? Oh, Lu Guang, you have no idea what you do to me.
When they had to break apart for air, Cheng Xiaoshi had the biggest grin on his face. His mind was a buzz, and the first thing he thought of was, I love you.
Lu Guang’s blush deepened to the point that his cheeks were nearly crimson. Cheng Xiaoshi must have said it out loud. Oh, well.
For a second, there was a flicker of another emotion on Lu Guang’s face. Fear, uncertainty, maybe even pain. But it was quickly replaced with gentle and warm affection. Lu Guang smiled, his hands on the back of Cheng Xiaoshi’s neck pulling him closer.
“I love you, Xiaoshi,” Lu Guang whispered, his breath ghosting Cheng Xiaoshi’s skin, before crashing their lips together again.
In the middle of a modest sunroom, sunlight shone down through bare glass panes, no longer casting shadows of synthetic leaves and shiny papers. It highlighted the empty corner that once held a Christmas tree. It cast a halo around the couch and the mute-colored pillowcases. It drew attention to the generic coffee table, which held a box of festivities that would soon be tucked away. It reminded the occupants that the holiday season was over.
But now, to Cheng Xiaoshi, the sunroom wasn’t so bland anymore.