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[ It's the first day of classes, and Hua Cheng couldn't be more excited. He's got a full schedule meticulously planned to revolve around a certain member of the student body, and he's pulled lots of strings to get that achieved.

Right now, however, was one of his classes that didn't involve one Xie Lian, ray of sunshine come to life, god amongst boys, and the singular point of all of Hua Cheng's dreams and aspirations. Hua Cheng had an art class to take, after all, and unfortunately that wasn't one of the things that Xie Lian wanted to take as well.

He busies himself setting up an easel, a canvas, ready to paint whatever freshman student they'd roped into posing for the class and getting paid in lunch money. He's so busy doing so that he doesn't notice until he sits down and looks up and over his canvas and sees, like a dream, the most beautiful boy alive.

Hua Cheng pinches himself and smiles dopily, like the lovestruck sap he is. ]

There's a seat over here, gege.

[ He has definitely mistaken him for a fellow student. ]

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[Being back on campus was a surreal experience, and sometimes Xie Lian found himself forgetting that this wasn’t the first time he’d tried to get through college. Sometimes he’d found himself taking pictures of some of the architecture to send to his father or calling his mother just to see what she was making for lunch before he remembered. Grief was ever present and woven into the fiber of his being, but it didn’t feel like it was too heavy for him to carry now.

It helped that he had good friends like San Lang who seemed to not mind that Xie Lian had fallen off the face of the earth prior to, during, and after his military service. If anything, the distance had only seemed to make San Lang happier to see him each time he saw him, a sentiment that Xie Lian was helpless to do anything but return.

… Even if it was a bit embarrassing to know that San Lang was going to be in the class where he was going to be modeling for.]

San Lang! Hello!

[He shot a quick glance around the classroom, with the teacher helping a few students set up so it didn’t seem like Xie Lian needed to start right away. Which was both a relief since he was still nervous but also meant his apprehension was going to be stretched out for a bit longer. He gravitated towards San Lang without realizing, offering him a smile.]

I shouldn’t be surprised to see you here since our other classes line up so well. It must be fate.

[ Xie Lian had fallen off the face of the planet and San Lang had channeled all that energy, all that longing into art. He hadn't been much an artist before that, but one day lost in thoughts, he'd drawn a picture of the two of them, as they had been before.

He'd always wondered if Xie Lian had found out, and that's why he never bothered to contact Hua Cheng. But after awhile, he realized that Xie Lian hadn't contacted anyone else, either.

He'd always wanted to let him know he understood, he just wanted to be there for him. ]

Must be!

[ He looks surprised, so it's definitely not something he planned. How is he supposed to tell Xie Lian that he can draw him without looking at him? That he's internalized all the ways the light can hit his face? ]

Do you have anything after this?

[ He asks, fully knowing that Xie Lian does not. Unless he has some other modeling gigs he hadn't let Hua Cheng know about. ]

I was going to get lunch, if you'd like to join me.

[ San Lang flashes a smile back, as all the other students wean off their own conversations to start the class. ]

[It made Xie Lian happy to think there was something fated about their meetings, even if he was sure it was just coincidence. Ever since he’d returned, he hadn’t had many people who were willing to overlook his past transgressions, and perhaps other than San Lang, Shi Qingxuan was the only other friend he had at the moment. He had tried to make up with Mu Qing and Feng Xin on a few occasions, but even he knew his attempts were lackluster at best.

But having San Lang here, happy to see him and eager to invite him out after class, soothed him in a way that was noticeable. The tension in his shoulders eased, his fingers that had been gripping the strap of his backpack tightly loosened.]

I don’t have anything after this. I would like that very much. But San Lang, are you sure you won’t get tired of having me around all day?

[Whereas with other people it might have been laced with actual insecurity, it was more of a tease when he said it to San Lang.

He didn’t get to hear the answer, because the teacher was calling the class to order. Xie Lian shot San Lang one last quick smile before he headed over to introduce himself quietly. Thankfully, today’s class seemed to be mostly going over the syllabus with only a quick sketch to warm up and let the teacher get a baseline for everyone’s abilities.

All Xie Lian had to do was sit on a stool and look out the window, which was easy enough to do. He tried not to look too often at San Lang, but he felt his gaze drawn over more often than it should have. He wanted to chalk it up to San Lang being the only friendly face in the crowd, but it was more than that.

San Lang was unbearably handsome, and the look on his face as he concentrated didn’t detract from that at all.]

[ He was glad to hear that he was teasing when asking whether or not it was alright to be hanging around all day. After all, he knew that with most people, he would have asked without a hint of a joke, and it made Hua Cheng feel like no one deserved him and all his kindness. It made his heart hurt for Xie Lian, makes him want to do everything he can to protect him, to show him how much better he is than anyone else.

But then, just like that, Xie Lian becomes a consummate professional model.

He does look at Xie Lian a lot, even though he has no reason to do so, because he could draw Xie Lian in his sleep. So why not take the time to look at him? Really study him, like he's supposed to be doing?

He likes to imagine Xie Lian as a sculpture. And when he puts paint to the canvas to shade out his cheek, he's really excavating it from the marble where he already exists. He imagines placing his hand on the stone as if placing his hand on the skin, just to check that it's right.

Hua Cheng looks up at him with fox-eyes, bright but sultry all the same, counting each lash, taking in the soft shifts of color in his skin. Is he imagining things, or is Xie Lian looking at him, too? He smirks as he looks back down, breaking from gege's gaze, as he wipes away the thought. It's silly, to let his fantasies of gege reciprocating his feelings run wild. ]

[Though Xie Lian had been raised in a rather conservative household and might have rather… old fashioned values he wasn’t completely immune to knowing how attractive someone might be or what that might mean. Feng Xin and Mu Qing were immensely popular, even though Feng Xin had always ran away whenever some poor girl tried to confess to him. Thanks to the two of them, he knew and could recognize some of the signs of romantic interest. Or at least, he thought he did.

Sometimes when San Lang looked at him, he thought he saw it in his gaze, but it was probably just a trick of the light or how San Lang looked at people he liked. As friends! Since the amount of people San Lang seemed to tolerate was enough that Xie Lian could count on one hand with fingers still left over, Xie Lian sometimes found himself tricked into thinking it was a look unique to how San Lang looked at him.

He felt it now, and it made Xie Lian flush lightly, but when the teacher called an end to class and asked him about it in concern, he had just waved it off to nerves. He was just imaging things, and put it forcefully out of his mind.

He made a beeline for San Lang once class was over, hoping to see just how he looked from San Lang’s eyes. He stopped just short of looking at his easel, hands clasped behind his back, expression innocent.]

Can I see what your work? San Lang is so talented I love seeing it firsthand.

[ If Xie Lian found out just how much Hua Cheng looked at him like he was attracted to him, he'd die inside. He'd tried so hard to hide it, because he'd gotten it into his mind that Xie Lian didn't reciprocate. But why would he? It wasn't like people were lining up to court Hua Cheng. He wasn't in-demand, wasn't conventionally attractive, he thought. He just wanted to show gege that, personality-wise, he had a lot to offer.

And maybe, talent-wise. ]

En, I'd love to show gege.

[ He turns his whole easel around, since the paint will take awhile to dry, so he doesn't want to disturb the canvas itself.

The painting is a faithful reproduction of Xie Lian, but takes particular care of the light that plays on his face. His one eye is in shadow, a clear brown. The other one, nearly on flame with a bright, swirling amber. His skin looks soft, tender, nearly translucent. Each freckle is placed with determination, each eyelash feather-soft. The clothes on him cling in the right places, showing off a little bit of his form underneath. ]

Does gege like it?

[ He seems honestly concerned, as if Xie Lian might not appreciate all the little details. Or maybe he's used to seeing himself in photographs instead. Or maybe he just won't like the style. But he's also only had an hour to paint - he's debating whether or not to offer to do another one, one that takes a little more work. ]

[Having been raised in a rather wealthy household, one that had prided the arts as much as they had things like jewelry or tailored clothing, Xie Lian had been raised to have a discerning eye. Of course, it was a rather useless talent to him now since he wasn’t anywhere near being able to afford such fine things, but when San Lang turned his easel around, Xie Lian was struck a bit breathless.

He was sure the figure was him, but the soft look on his face, the way his eyes were alight, right down to the freckles… All of the details were so lovingly reproduced that Xie Lian didn’t know what to say at first. He had always known that San Lang was talented but this…]

I like it very much!

[He finally mustered, turning to San Lang with a bright smile, laughing.]

You have such great attention to detail San Lang! Just the eyes alone! [His ability to put his thoughts into words seemed to be failing him for a moment, so he just turned his attention back to the canvas, shaking his head slightly in wonder.] I always knew San Lang was talented, but seeing it up close is amazing. Soon I’ll have to be paying you to draw my portrait.

[ Oh... he hadn't expected that to be the reaction. He's so pleased with himself, and it's obvious from the way his whole face lights up. ]

I'd never charge gege.

[ But he smiles with the sweet implication that he'd paint gege anytime he'd like, unsaid in his mouth but sitting in the way he looks at Xie Lian. Oh, but how it'd surprise him to know that he's Hua Cheng's muse, that even all the strokes of paint he doesn't make to represent gege, he makes for gege.

He stands up to pack up his paints and put the painting over where it has to dry, and then cleans up his hands so they can go get something to eat. ]

I've got something to celebrate, so how about I make it my treat?

[ He would just make it his treat anyway, but it's nicer to have an excuse because he's still to chicken to just ask him out on a date. ]

[The way that San Lang reacted to praise made Xie Lian want to lavish it on him extravagantly, especially since he deserved it. Were people not telling him he was talented? If so, it felt like a crime that needed to be rectified immediately, but before Xie Lian could do so, San Lang was smiling at him so sweetly it took his breath away. It was unfair how kind and generous and generally faultless that San Lang was, and sometimes Xie Lian wasn’t sure how to handle being in his vicinity, let alone his friend. But as difficult as it was to be around people, Xie Lian had never felt that way with San Lang.

He only shook his head slightly at that proclamation, adjusting his backpack a bit self consciously as he watched some of the other students file out.]

I would never take something so valuable for free. San Lang already is far too kind.

[With his point only made a few moments later, Xie Lian laughing despite himself.]

If you have something to celebrate, shouldn’t I treat you? What’s the occasion?

[While he didn’t have much financially anymore, he could always scrounge up enough change to buy a meat bun at least. San Lang never seemed to complain about sharing one.]

[ San Lang may have been kind, but - Xie Lian doesn't know this - he'd literally saved his life and given him a reason to carry on. And then became his muse. So if he'd poured his entire soul into work, it would all be for him. If people gave him money for his work, it would all be for him. He wonders sometimes if this had been in the past, a long long time ago, perhaps he would have deified Xie Lian, or made a saint of him.

There's time to delve into that later as he shelves the belongings that stay in this room and packs up his bag. ]

I'm showing a few things at a gallery. It opens in a week. Just got the news this morning.

[ Okay, technically he'd done a little bit of bartering with He Xuan to get him to be able to display at the gallery. And he hadn't actually been very worried at all about whether or not he'd be able to show since there might have been some strings pulled, but Xie Lian doesn't have to know about that. ]

Ah, if gege insists, then I will have to treat him after I sell my paintings.

[ That should be fair, right? He doesn't already have a couple michelin-starred restaurants in mind or anything. ]

San Lang! That’s so amazing, congratulations!

[Xie Lian couldn’t help but beam with pride, as if somehow he had attributed to this success at all when it had been San Lang’s talent alone. Mostly, he was just proud that San Lang was already succeeding with his art, and that other people would get to have a glimpse at how great his skill was.

He reached out as if to grab San Lang’s hands, stopping himself only because San Lang was packing away his things. So instead he twisted his hands behind his back, barely restrained energy. This sort of announcement should be met with Xie Lian taking to him to one of the nicest restaurants in town, but all he had were meat buns or-]

We can go for some meat buns or I can cook something for you. What good news!

[He did laugh at how easily San Lang said he would sell his paintings, nodding.]

En. I hope you sell them all.

[ He couldn't tell gege, but someday might, that he attributed all his artistic success to him. After all, without gege, he wouldn't even have picked up a brush and been compelled to tell a story with his art. He never would have looked at his first draft and thought, "this doesn't accurately represent what I want," and he never would have gone through iteration 2, 3, ad nauseam, to get to the level he is at now.

Even if he didn't know it, Xie Lian had been with Hua Cheng on his journey to discovering himself and his talents the whole time, especially while he had been gone. ]

Ah, whichever gege likes better.

[ He knows gege likes to eat meat buns, but he could also never say no to a little bit of his cooking. Most people didn't like it for some reason, but San Lang never complained. It wasn't going to be served in a restaurant or anything, but as far as he was concerned, nothing was as satisfying as eating a meal cooked with love by Xie Lian. ]

Ready?

[ He shifts his bag up on his shoulder and shoots gege a little smile. He's so kind, so positive, and so lovely. Hua Cheng is usually jealous whenever he sees gege around with others who don't deserve him, trying to win their approval. He reaches over as if to take his hand, but catches himself, brushing his index finger gently over the back of Xie Lian's palm before letting his arm fall back to his side. ]

[Since San Lang left the choice up to him, Xie Lian took a few moments to think about it, mouth downturned slightly, fingers holding his chin. Meat buns would be easier and quicker, but it wasn’t as if there was much of a time constraint today. And while nothing he shared with San Lang felt common or painfully ordinary, it felt like something they had done enough that it wasn’t actually celebratory.

Cooking for him would show a bit more effort, and since Xie Lian took careful stock of his food and perishables at all time, he was sure he had enough ingredients for mapo tofu. Not that it was flashy, either, but perhaps San Lang would let him treat him again when he was a bit more prepared and had saved up to buy ingredients that were more extravagant.]

En, let’s go to my place then. Does mapo tofu sound good?

[If not, they could stop along the way and buy a few more ingredients to make something better like hotpot.

When he felt San Lang’s finger brush against his own, he felt his hand tingle where their skin had touched, his face flushing. He glanced up at San Lang curiously, holding out his hand as if to show him it was empty. Did he want something from him?]

[ He smiles widely. Gege's cooking, no matter how awful everyone said it was, was always a favorite of his. It's because he truly appreciate the effort that Xie Lian put into his dishes, loved the personal touch. ]

That sounds great, gege.

[ Plus, going to gege's room was just exactly what he wanted in order to celebrate. He always wanted to spend time with him, and to be invited into the space he called his own, personalized with his own decorations, put only the things he loved most in? Yes, he'd been invited more than once, but every single time felt like the same amount of elation as the first.

When they head out of the building, Hua Cheng looks down at gege's hand and wishes so much to reach out and touch it, to hold it. But he catches himself, and makes his hand stay to the side as if anchored by a rock. ]

What do you have later today?

[ He asks as if he doesn't already know, but he feels like it's way less creepy to ask. ]

[It’s a relief that this poor offering was acceptable to someone as talented and handsome as San Lang, who definitely could be doing far better in terms of both friends and meals. The fact that San Lang seemed to happily enjoy his company and his cooking was very rare, and Xie Lian couldn’t help but smile at him brightly as they headed outside, feeling glad as always to be blessed with such a good friend.]

When and where is the gallery going to take place? If San Lang doesn’t mind, I’d love to come.

[Maybe it was a bit much for Xie Lian to invite himself along, but he couldn’t help but be curious. Even the sketch for today was amazing, so he could only imagine what sort of pieces San Lang had deemed good enough to display to the public.

As they walked across campus, the well kept green lawns and well maintained buildings falling away to the more worn dorms, Xie Lian considered San Lang’s question thoughtfully.]

I was going to do delivery for a few hours then homework. What about you San Lang?

Oh, I was just going to paint.

[ He did that, whenever he didn't have too much work to do. He was ahead on everything, which annoyed his professors greatly. He was such a brilliant mind, always debating with the professors, usually coming out ahead: and yet, he pursued art. If he had pursued linguistics, his mathematics professor would find it a waste, and if he had pursued mathematics, his science professors would try to cajole him over.

What he loved... what he really loved, was standing in front of a canvas or in front of a stone, and finding Xie Lian or the things that reminded him of Xie Lian within that blankness, and bringing it into the world to witness it, to show everyone else its glory. ]

And gege, I'd be honored if you could come see my opening. It's the second Saturday of next month, at Ling Wen's gallery downtown.

[ Having gege as his plus one... that seemed like a dream. ]

[’Just going to paint’ sounded so modest coming from San Lang considering his skill, and if it was anyone else, Xie Lian might have been jealous of all of his talent. No matter what San Lang did, he was so great at it. But more than that, he had found his purpose in life and had thrown himself into it wholeheartedly. And all of his talent and hardwork was being recognized already.

It wasn’t envy Xie Lian felt as he looked at San Lang, but warmth and affection. San Lang only deserved the best things.]

San Lang is so hard working. It’s only the first day of classes and I’m sure he’s already ahead in all of his courses.

[Whereas Xie Lian was still struggling to believe all of this was really happening and he was back on campus.

As San Lang mentioned the date of his gallery, Xie Lian fished around in his backpack to get out his planner to jot it down quickly.]

The honor would be all mine! Should I see if some of the others want to come?

[He wanted as many people as possible to see San Lang’s work, but only if he was fine with it. He punched in the code to his dorm building, ushering San Lang in, heading to his dorm room.]

En, alright.

[ But then, very quickly, he adds: ]

The opening is invite-only, and we're all supposed to dress up for it. But I can see if I can get more invitations.

[ There's just mostly going to be a lot of very wealthy people there, people in Ling Wen's contact book. And there are multiple artists - Hua Cheng's still in school, after all, so it's rare he would even get such a large space to showcase his work.

Anyway, they can think about that later. They can go over to gege's right now instead, and he likes the idea of that a lot more.

He waits for gege to finish writing in his planner - gosh, how is he so cute - and tries to remain cool, hanging out by the wall. ]

Oh, then don’t trouble yourself San Lang!

[He should have known if it was going to be at Ling Wen’s gallery, it would be exclusive and invitation only. It must have been a slip from his old life, when he could just ask for whatever he wanted without a second thought and people would rush to fulfill his every need.

It was a far cry from now as he went up the dubious cement steps to his second floor apartment, unlocking the door that probably didn’t even need to be locked since there was nothing but furniture he had found on the curbside and had cleaned off generously. Sometimes Shi Qingxuan would donate things to him, supposedly secondhand, but even if they were gently used, due to the quality they gleamed like they were straight from the box. So his apartment was a mix of old and new things, with at least all of his cooking utensils being relatively new.

He ushered San Lang in and closed the door behind him.]

Do you want water or tea?

[It was all he had to offer for drinks, but it was offered cheerfully enough as Xie Lian put down his backpack and rolled up his sleeves to start preparing food. More worrisome than the invitations was:]

What are you going to wear San Lang? Do you have a suit and tie?

[It would be a nice sight to see, he was sure San Lang would somehow manage to be even more handsome in such a getup, but it created a problem for him. If it really was so exclusive, he wasn’t sure if he had anything up to Ling Wen’s standards. Maybe he could borrow something from Shi Qingxuan but their sense of style was a lot more… adventurous than Xie Lian was.]

Ah, water's fine. I'll get it. Do you want one too?

[ Hua Cheng was used to Xie Lian's place by now, and they were friends. Maybe Hua Cheng wanted more than that, but he was grateful to have this, and be welcomed into Xie Lian's life and his home. He poured them both glasses of water, both because he felt like he was welcome to do it, and also because to do so, he had to lean over Xie Lian just so and press his chest into Xie Lian's back as he reached for the cups.

Oops.

He also makes sure to hand it to him in a way where their hands will have to touch the barest amount. But if anyone asks, he hadn't meant to do anything. ]

It's white tie. And... Ling Wen's renting me a tux for it.

[ Hua Cheng is just starting out in the business, so he has a little bit of extra cash - not to mention, his stocks in Gamestop are doing pretty well right about now - but the problem is that everything about his wealth is new and volatile. So, it's more stable if Ling Wen fronts him for the tux and brings him to schmooze with the clientele, make himself known. After all, and Ling Wen knows this better than Hua Cheng does - he's not going because he's the artist. He's going because he's the artist and he's got enough charisma when he wants to put it on to last him an entire career. She's willing to part with the two hundred dollars it costs her to make this investment.

Hua Cheng, not knowing any of this, not knowing that Ling Wen had only extended a +1 as a formality and hadn't expected Hua Cheng to bring anyone, takes a seat on gege's couch feeling like a cat who snagged a whole canary. ]

En, please!

[Xie Lian was just about to get the cups out of the cabinet to hand over but- oh. San Lang was right behind him, pressing his broad chest against his back, warm and inviting. Xie Lian felt his face start to burn as he tried not to think of how tall San Lang was, how long his legs were, how lithe he was, but how he had also watched San Lang heft around heavy art supplies like it meant nothing. Now was not the time to think such things, especially when San Lang was here to celebrate something innocuous and innocent.

Internally, Xie Lian said a few quick prayers to whatever gods might be listening before accepting the cup of water, gulping it down quickly so that he didn’t have to speak or make eye contact.]

Thank you, San Lang.

[He fished out the ingredients from his fridge, started to dice things up as well as he could, which was a rather slow process and meant that a lot of the vegetables would be misshapen. Just when he thought he was safe, the image of San Lang in a tuxedo overcame him, and he had to take a few breaths before speaking, voice light and cheery.]

San Lang will look so nice in a tuxedo! I’ll have to find something to wear that is just as fitting then!

Mm.

[ He thinks about Xie Lian in a tuxedo as well and - oh, wow. He bets that gege would clean up so nicely. Not that he wasn't nice already, and wasn't beautiful even when he was covered in dirt and grime - but when he was dressed to the nines.... maybe inviting him was a mistake. On the one hand, it would be hard to hide how attracted he was to him.

And on the other, people would surely be flocking to gege, to get his number, to try and flirt with him.

San Lang would have to make sure he stood behind him and gave the impression that gege was absolutely taken. ]

I'll help you look for something.

[ He smiles sweetly, and then puts down the cup and comes over. ]

What are we making?

[ He's not about to disparage Xie Lian's cooking, but on the other hand, he does enjoy this as a pair activity. It's all the sweeter that his partner happens to be someone whose hands need to be held to make even cuts. ]

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