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The sun is steadily rising.
Zihao watches it through half-lidded eyes, the distant hum of a waking city a dull buzz in his ear. The early birds cut through the starry sky, but there he was, dragging his drunk best friend down the empty sidewalk instead, Suren’s dead weight slumping heavily against his back.
Zihao staggers under the sheer Suren-ness of him, his face smushed against his chest like it’s the most natural place in the world. A strand of black hair sticks to his flushed forehead, and drool pools in a wet spot on his prized kuromi hoodie.
Gross, Zihao's mind thinks. He attempts to wipe the mess off his shirt against the nearest wall. Beautiful, his traitorous heart insists.
Even in a state like this, he thinks Suren outshines every constellation he has ever craned his neck to see.
“Zihao… is that you…?” Suren starts slurring, burying his face into the curve of Zihao’s neck with enough force to nearly knock them both off balance. "Wha' time'sit...?" The fabric of his shirt muffles his voice into a dull mumble.
At least he’s still conscious, Zihao sighs internally. The bar is way too low.
“It’s very early in the morning,” he answers anyway, patting his back as Suren whines something unintelligible into his shoulder. “Too early for you to be stumbling out and about alone while drunk!”
“Ohhh…and where’s…Sun…?”
“Asleep. Sun-ge stayed at home, remember?” Zihao whispers. Hengyu doesn’t even drink.
“Home… sleep?” Suren recoils, body swaying dangerously, arms still tethered to Zihao. “M’not… going back…”
“Come on, Suren, you went clubbing all night, you need some rest–”
“N-no… the fuck… I don’t…”
“Yes, you do.”
“Li…Zihao!!!” Suren flails his fists in the air in a final attempt at defiance. The corner of Zihao's lips lifts when Suren nuzzles further into the curve of his collarbone, planting a gentle kiss on his neck.
“I-I’m not… fucking drunk… bastard…” Whiskey and something sweeter, maybe the ghost of cheap club soda, clings to Suren’s breath.
“You are very drunk, actually."
“I-I know I’m not… because when you’re drunk… everything is blurry… buh’ you’re still the brightest star I can see, okay?”
Huh?
None of Suren’s drunk ramblings tonight have made sense so far, and he doesn’t even know if he’s aware of what he just said, but in that moment Zihao’s heart tightens anyway. Just a little bit.
“Don’t… you even worry about what I just said, bro,” Suren groans, hands incessantly tugging at Zihao’s hair and poking at him. Thank God there are only a few more steps until they both get home.
“Whatever you say, dude,” Zihao feigns nonchalance, arms still wrapped tight as ever around Suren’s waist. He’ll have some good stories to tell him tomorrow.