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___1___
Shen Yuan hits call and waits for Xiang Fei to pick up. It’s the same time they’ve called pretty much everyday for a year now. Their first call had simply been so Shen Yuan could air his grievances about PIDW without his fingers falling off from all the typing. Now that Shen Yuan can, begrudgingly, admit that they’re friends though, their calls involve talking about basically anything. Xiang Fei picks up and Shen Yuan’s about to launch into a tirade about one of his classmates when he hears what sounds like held back crying.
“What’s wrong?” Shen Yuan asks. Never once in all this time has he witnessed Xiang Fei crying so something must be really wrong.
“Hey bro, it’s fine. Sorry.” Xiang Fei just barely manages to get out without whining.
Shen Yuan frowns. “It’s clearly not. Just tell me about it.”
Xiang Fei sniffles. “Neither of my parents are willing to let me stay till graduation. They want me out on my birthday. Said I’ll be an adult so I need to take care of myself.”
“What the fuck? They can’t wait a few months until you graduate?” Shen Yuan asks in disbelief.
“Apperently not so I have a couple months to find an apartment.” Xiang Fei takes a shaky breath. “I guess that means no college too.” He gives a sad wet chuckle.
“I’ll help with the apartment search. Also, I’m going back to paying for chapters and you can’t stop me.” Shen Yuan huffs.
Xiang Fei laughs, a real laugh.
___2___
Six months later, Shen Yuan’s phone pings and he picks it up to see that Xiang Fei messaged.
Hack Author ✈️
my reachability may b spotty soon btw
Me
Why?
Hack Author ✈️
ummm kinda losing my apartment tomorrow
Shen Yuan immediately hits call.
“What are you calling me for bro?” Xiang Fei asks, sounding tired.
“What the hell do you mean you’re losing your apartment!? Why didn’t you tell me sooner? Where are you going tomorrow?”
Xiang Fei sighs shakily. “I honestly don’t know. Maybe an internet cafe or something?”
“Come here.” It’s out of Shen Yuan’s mouth before he can think about it but he doesn’t regret it.
Xiang Fei starts sounding frantic. “I can’t do that dude. That’s asking way too much.”
“You’re not asking I’m offering. I have an extra bedroom in my apartment. There’s no bed in it right now but we’ll get it sorted. In the meantime we’ll figure something out.”
“I’ll only stay if you let me earn my keep. Either rent or cooking and cleaning and stuff.” Xiang Fei negotiates.
“I feel like your food would poison me. You can clean though if it’ll make you move in.” Anything to keep his friend from living in an internet cafe.
“Excuse you my cooking is fantastic!” Xiang Fei protests
And so they were roommates.
___3___
Xiang Fei has been Shen Yuan’s roommate for all of two days when he blurts out, “I don’t think you want me as your roommate.”
“If I didn’t want you as a roommate you wouldn’t be here.” Shen Yuan frowns.
Xiang Fei groans. “I’m serious! I doubt you’d be letting me sleep in your bed if you really knew me.”
“I do know you, you hack. I don’t give a shit about having to share the bed while we wait for yours to show up. Why would you think I’d care?”
“Because-” Xiang Fei hesitates. “Because I’m gay.”
Shen Yuan brain buffers for a while and the first thought he has when it comes back online falls straight out of his mouth. “That’s why your smut’s so awful I thought it was because you’re a turbo virgin.”
“Is that seriously what you’re focused on right now?” Xiang Fei gapes.
Shen Yuan rolls his eyes. “Well yeah. What else should I be focused on?”
“Um maybe the fact you’ve been sharing a bed with me for two days!?” Xiang Fei’s arms frantically wave as he speaks.
“Okay but I’m straight so nothing’s gonna happen?” Shen Yuan’s brow furrows, this seeming very obvious to him.
“You really don’t care?” Xiang Fei’s eyes start to glisten.
Shen Yuan just rolls his eyes again. “Why would I care who you like. Besides, in hindsight it’s pretty obvious.”
“What do you mean obvious!?”
Shen Yuan shrugs. “I mean, look at you.”
Xiang Fei’s mouth drops open. “What the hell does that mean!?”
___4___
Xiang Fei comes into Shen Yuan’s room and lays face down on the floor. When Shen Yuan ignores him he sighs dramatically.
“What do you want?” Shen Yuan finally asks after the second loud sigh.
“I want to write something that’s not trash for once.” Xiang Fei mumbles into the floor.
“Well then write something that’s not trash.” Shen Yuan says absentmindedly.
Xiang Fei pouts. “But then I’ll lose my income.”
Shen Yuan shift in his chair. “I will happily pay you to write something actually good.”
Xiang Fei chuckles. “Gonna be my sugar daddy?”
Shen Yuan looks on in horror. “No! That’s disgusting! I will be your patron you pervert.”
“Same difference. What if I write something you don’t like though?” Xiang Fei turns his head to look up at Shen Yuan with genuine worry in his eyes.
Shen Yuan raises a brow. “Is the plan copious amounts of papapa?”
“Of course not. The plan is tasteful amounts of papapa.” Xiang Fei grins.
“I guess I can accept that. What is the rest of the plan anyways?”
Xiang Fei grimaces. “That’s the part you may not like. I wanna make Mobei-jun the main character and explore his and Shang Qinghua’s relationship.”
“Why would I not like that?”
“Because I uh, kinda wanna make it a danmei?” Xiang Fei looks even more worried now.
Shen Yuan thinks on it. He’s, of course, as a straight man, never read a danmei before but if it’s actually going to be Xiang Fei giving it his all how could it be bad? As bad as PIDW has become he can tell that Xiang Fei is a good writer underneath it all. “If you write it I’ll read it.” He finally says.
___5___
Xiang Fei bursts into his room making Shen Yuan turn his chair to face him. “What’s up?”
“I got an e-mail from a film studio. They want to make a drama of my new novel.” He spits out in a rush. Before Shen Yuan can congratulate him he continues rambling. “What if it gets made and everyone hates it? What if they give me a really bad signing deal? What if they make me do a meet and greet!? I can’t deal with that many people, I’ll die.”
“Woah woah, slow down dumbass. People won’t hate it, they already like it. It’s a good story. And, you won’t get a bad signing deal because my family’s lawyer will look at it. Okay?”
“What about the meet and greet?” Xiang Fei jokes weakly, looking less panicked.
“You can suck it up.”
___+1___
Shen Yuan bursts into Xiang Fei’s room. He turns to look at Shen Yuan and sees that he looks on the brink of a breakdown. Before Xiang Fei can ask what’s wrong Shen Yuan blurts out, “What if all my crushes on girls have actually been platonic feelings and all my strong platonic feelings for guys have actually been crushes!?”
“Okay, back up. Where’s this coming from?” Xiang Fei asks gently.
“I just- I’ve just been thinking about how you know you’re not straight which led me to wondering how I know I am straight and now I’m confused.” Shen Yuan breathes heavily.
“Okay well relax. It’s not a big deal. You’ll figure it out and either we’ll be a gay duo or we won’t. The world’s not ending, I promise.”
Shen Yuan’s breathing slows a bit but he still looks a little freaked out.
“Do you need a hug and then we can talk it out together?” Xiang Fei suggests.
“I don’t need anything.” Shen Yuan huffs indignantly.
“Okay, but do you want?” Xiang Fei opens his arms.
Shen Yuan looks off to the side before nodding.