Chapter Text
He Xuan shoved Shi Qingxuan into the wall. Hard. "What the fuck do you think you're planning, Qingxuan? Do you think I haven't seen the look on your face during practice? I know you're planning something-- shit I've seen you r-..." He Xuan choked up, unable to say the words. I've seen you rehearsing your death.
"Please let me go, that hurts," Shi Qingxuan spoke, trembling slightly, their breathing erratic. He Xuan let them go, clearly regretting the force that he had used. "You know someone has to win, Ming-xiong. That someone has to be you. I'll give it my all, truly, but we both know who is going to make it out of this round, and both of us both know that it will not be me."
He Xuan's jaw clenched. So I was right. He sighed. "Please do not make such an uncalculated decision. You do not know how this is going to end up, so do not intentionally throw your life away. We can't let those alien scum win."
Shi Qingxuan smiled, though He Xuan had learned not to let that convince him of their happiness. They often hid their pain and anguish behind those smiles, too, after all. He Xuan waited for a response that never came. The doors opened, and their guards entered.
"It is time to go. Finish whatever you need to and get ready to enter the stage," they said, clearly noticing the dried tears on Shi Qingxuan's face, and obviously not caring the slightest bit. Humans were just toys to them anyway- as long as the toy wasn't physically damaged, they could easily turn the other way.
Dumb fucks, He Xuan cursed. He hated them all.
He turned back toward Shi Qingxuan, who was desperately attempting to tidy up their tear-stricken makeup. "Let me help," he offered with a smile.
They gave him a nod and handed him a makeup brush and a bottle of foundation. Gently, He Xuan squirted a little onto the back of his hand, dipping the brush into the product and dabbing it onto Shi Qingxuan's face. "You know," they spoke up, "This would be a very sweet and romantic moment if one of us weren't about to march out those doors and to their death."
"Must you always make things so morbid?" He Xuan scowled, grumbling. At that, Shi QIngxuan laughed, a sound He Xuan decided to savor and cherish. It was a sound he probably would never get to hear again.
...
ROUND ONE
Shi QINGXUAN vs. HE XUAN
Shi Qingxuan looked at He Xuan from where they stood. Shi Qingxuan had always been popular, especially for their singing, but they could never hold a candle to He Xuan's stage presence. The girls loved him, which, of course, Shi Qingxuan understood. He Xuan was extremely attractive- he wasn't always; Shi Qingxuan had grown up with him- but he definitely grew to be a sculpted and put-together man. If only these were not the circumstances he had to grow up in.
Shi Qingxuan was brought back to reality when the metronome in their inner ears started ticking along with a countdown.
5.
He Xuan must win.
4.
He has to.
3.
I have practiced this countless times.
2.
I can do this.
1.
I hope.
He Xuan began, his voice flawless and smooth. Each carefully practiced word slid from his mouth like honey; each movement of his body was fluid, like water upon rocks.
He didn't want to win if someone was fated to die because of it, but he also couldn't fight the instinct taking over him. The instinct to live.
He Xuan looked toward Shi Qingxuan, who was standing there, microphone in hand, waiting for their line to come. Their eyes met in quiet and helpless longing. Perhaps their relationship could have been different if this were not what they were forced to do. If this were not how they were forced to live.
He Xuan thought back to their childhood; lessons upon lessons, being groomed into perfect and likeable people, gaining sponsors, being rivals. The last thing never really stuck. While He Xuan didn't exactly like Shi Qingxuan, he could admit that he wasn't not fond of the other-- he could also neither confirm nor deny claims that they had something going on. While it could be interpreted a certain way, not even He Xuan knew what status their relationship held. He willingly chose not to acknowledge it because that meant coming to terms with the matter of their fate.
It was something he would have to face anyway, for as the song finally finished, the two stepped toward each other. Shi Qingxuan looked toward the scoreboard and smiled and genuine smile. If they were scared, they didn't reveal it.
He Xuan spared a look too: Shi Qingxuan: 86, He Xuan: 87.
Dread filled him, and his eyes stared off numbly at Shi Qingxuan.
NO. His mind screamed.
Shi Qingxuan's hands found He Xuan's face. Their gaze was sorrowful and guilty. "Why?' He Xuan choked.
"Someone had to win... Goodbye, my god, my universe." Shi Qingxuan pressed a soft kiss to He Xuan's cheek and stepped back as a shot rang out. A bullet flew through the air, lodging itself into Shi Qingxuan's neck and coming clean through the other side. Blood dripped from the entrance wound, and Shi Qingxuan's body fell.
It felt as if time itself had stopped. He Xuan watched helplessly as Shi Qingxuan's open gaze turned lifeless, a serene smile still plastered on their face. Falling to the ground, he let out a quiet choke, for that was all he could muster. He Xuan's body was ridged with shock, blood splattered on the same cheek Shi Qingxuan had kissed just moments before.
He Xuan wanted to cry out, to beat the shit out of the wretched aliens who had taken his closest, yet most annoying, companion from him, but he could not bring himself to move even a muscle. He felt a cold collar clasp around his neck, and any remaining bit of fight drained from him.
How does one live without their god-- their very universe?