Archive of Our Own ^beta

Han Wenqing didn’t think there was much to say about his relationship with Ye Xiu, generally.

(“Are you coming in?”

“…Yes.”

“Here, let’s sit. Do you want water?”

“I’m fine.”

“Okay, well, let me know if you change your mind. So…”

“So.”

“Want to…?”)

This was what people perceived about Han Wenqing and Ye Xiu: They were rivals. They were opponents. They were captains of two teams whose fanbases loathed each other. They were among Glory’s first professional gamers. They had met before the Alliance ever existed and had competed even then.

There was no room for friendship between these observations. The assumption was, therefore, that they weren’t friends and never could be.

(Han Wenqing pulled Ye Xiu into his lap carefully. They moved like they were breakable, like they had edges that could catch skin and tear. It wasn’t reasonable at all, and if Han Wenqing looked closely enough, he could swear there was something like frustration brewing in Ye Xiu’s eyes. Or maybe that was just arousal.

A pause as they settled, Ye Xiu’s thighs spread across Han Wenqing’s. Twin breaths to calm their racing hearts as nervousness threaded between them. Another pause because they didn’t know what to do, where to start.

Ye Xiu blinked at Han Wenqing. His hands came to rest, feather-light, on Han Wenqing’s chest. Fingertips traced his collarbone, barely exposed by the cut of his shirt, and Han Wenqing didn’t know how such a simple touch could feel like electricity.

When he looked again, there was no hint of frustration in Ye Xiu. Just patience and uncertainty and a kind of want that couldn’t be ignored, so visible it was. He had never intended to ignore it; he was too humbled to ignore it. To be the subject of Ye Xiu’s desire was an honor. To hold him, to even see him like this, was an honor.

But Han Wenqing still didn’t know what to do. So he waited, watching Ye Xiu, searching for a cue. The warmth of him was unbearably real, and there was this sense—that he should feel urgent, that he should be grabbing and holding and refusing to let go—taking and ravaging and making his own—but none of that was there. None of that was present. Only the warmth.

Han Wenqing waited, and Ye Xiu leaned in, and they kissed for the first time. It wasn’t supposed to be momentous, and it wasn’t. It was real.

It was all they needed.)

But this was what people didn’t perceive: They cared for each other. They spoke often, and not just about Glory (but mostly about Glory. Sometimes about them). They were together, or as together as they could afford to be. They were each other’s firsts, though not each other’s lasts (and there were others, frequently. In the end, it was always them and only them). They were content, and compatible, and made plans to travel, and carried out those plans. They had a future; or at least, they saw one.

And most importantly, they were friends.

(They woke slowly and stayed in bed despite that it was long past the time when they usually got up. A strict schedule was a must for a pro player, which was something most people seemed not to understand. Professional gaming was a job, and it was structured like one.

Today, though, there was no job. There was Ye Xiu beside him, pliant and radiating heat. There was the sunlight streaming in from the narrow slit in the drapes. There was the hum of the ancient air conditioner, and the steady pulse of a heart beneath where his hand rested.

Ye Xiu’s eyes flickered open for a moment. He didn’t seem to feel the need to get up yet, either, because he took the hand on his chest and wrapped himself around Han Wenqing’s arm, curling closer.

A variation of this had been happening all morning, off and on. Ye Xiu dozed, drifted away, then returned to center, and dozed again. Han Wenqing watched him with undisguised fascination. Almost from the moment he met Ye Xiu, he wanted to understand him better. And now he was here, the opportunity was ripe for the picking, and he suddenly thought that understanding was overrated. If they could be like this, why bother asking any questions?

Ye Xiu’s real name, his face when Han Wenqing nipped his fingertips, the sound he made when his neck was kissed and bitten—those were the answers. Han Wenqing didn’t have to seek them out; Ye Xiu confessed them freely.)

When they could, they met up on match days and found ways to entertain themselves. They didn’t normally venture into public because that increased the likelihood of being spotted and consequently disturbed, but they weren’t trying to hide anything. It was just that they didn’t get to take breaks that often, much less spend them together.

Nobody ever asked Han Wenqing where he was going, but if they had, he would have told the truth: I’m going to see Ye Qiu.

Match days were peculiar. There was training to be done, tactics to review, information to go over, but then there was a brief respite where everyone wanted to get away for a little while and unwind. Find their center, seek solace or inner peace, and then return in a condition more suited to competing onstage.

It took effort, what they did. If winning required work, losing gracefully required even more. There was an art to maintaining your confidence and trust in the face of defeat.

Being with Ye Xiu made it easier. With someone like Ye Xiu by his side, Han Wenqing could put things in perspective. Even if his career were to suddenly end one day, long before he was ready, there would be Ye Xiu. He was a source of happiness, and of comfort.

So Han Wenqing spent match days with him, if at all possible. Soon enough, their avatars would be loading into a map and struggling for supremacy, but before that, they could firm their resolve. They could remember their roots and revel in what was to come.

(It had become ritual. There was something about Ye Xiu’s touch that made Han Wenqing feel as if he had been entrusted with something sacred. He would never undervalue what existed between them, but when they made love, he recalled all the reasons he cherished this man, wanted this man.

A series of steps had to be followed before they could get to that point. The clothes had to be peeled off, piece by piece. Then they had to get the lube, spread it, ease the stretch. Han Wenqing was typically the one to take Ye Xiu; he would hold onto him, keeping his thighs open, and let his fingers sink in one by one. Normally, he stopped at three; sometimes he went so far as four.

Ye Xiu endured it all, letting Han Wenqing do as he would, allowing himself to be manipulated and navigated and learned. By their second year together, they had made a map of each other’s bodies that they retraced every time they went to bed. There was a romance to it, but it was mostly a ritual. Patterns steeped in reverence; an amount of forethought that nobody would ever spare for a person they didn’t love. A ritual was just practice, but a practice you never resented. Not if you were genuine.

And after—after Ye Xiu was ready, when he was splayed out on the mattress or couch or floor and roughly telling Han Wenqing that he wanted to be fucked now, that he couldn’t wait anymore—then and only then would Han Wenqing let himself take what he wanted.)

Summer, though… Summer had become Han Wenqing’s favorite time of year. He and Ye Xiu could spend weeks beside each other, fooling around in bed and playing Glory and watching bad movies and traveling the world.

Summer was theirs, and when the season was over and there was no more work to be done, Han Wenqing would do just about anything to keep Ye Xiu with him for as long as possible.

* * *

“What’s on your mind, Old Han?”

Han Wenqing tapped his fingers against the table. His coffee cup was empty; he was just waiting for Ye Xiu to finish his scone. “Nothing.”

“You looked awfully thoughtful. Contemplating your imminent defeat?”

“Don’t think so highly of yourself,” Han Wenqing retorted with a sniff. Truthfully, the match tonight was the furthest thing from his mind.

“I don’t! You’re the one who seems to be doing too much thinking.” Ye Xiu took a bite, chewed, swallowed. “So what were you thinking about?”

“Didn’t I just say it was nothing?”

Ye Xiu huffed and made no further comment, but his eyes were fixed on Han Wenqing as he ate. Han Wenqing did his best to ignore him.

He failed miserably, of course.

It had been a perfectly ordinary day. Tyranny landed in Hangzhou this morning, had their pre-match meeting and training session, and then parted ways with instructions to meet again at around six that evening. Han Wenqing had naturally taken the chance to bask in Ye Xiu’s company while he could.

But for some reason, he was feeling a little…agitated. A little hot beneath the collar. Maybe he just hadn’t been with Ye Xiu in too long.

Fishing for a distraction, Han Wenqing let his mind wander. The café they were in was tiny and didn’t see a lot of traffic. They were the only customers sitting inside; the rest ordered something at the counter and left. The cashier played games on his phone, hardly ever glancing up, and there was gentle acoustic music playing from the speakers on the walls.

Han Wenqing hadn’t the faintest idea how Ye Xiu had come to learn of such an out-of-the-way place, but he was impressed at how perfectly it suited their needs. No fans, no colleagues, not even many other people. The illusion of privacy was heady.

The only problem was that there wasn’t anything to distract him.

When he dared look back at Ye Xiu, he realized the scone had been finished off, and Ye Xiu seemed to be doing nothing at all—much like Han Wenqing. He was staring at the street through the window nearest their table, expression blank, and nothing about that should have worried Han Wenqing, but it did.

The way he held his body was familiar. Still, and stiff, and very much deliberate.

There was something troubling Ye Xiu. How to approach this? Han Wenqing argued back and forth with himself for a minute.

He must have moved or shifted his weight, because Ye Xiu’s gaze refocused on him. Now or never.

“I was thinking,” Han Wenqing said slowly, “about our first time.”

Ye Xiu raised an eyebrow. “Our first time what?”

“You know what.” Han Wenqing glared at him. “In that shitty motel. You sent me a message, telling me to meet you.”

“I remember,” Ye Xiu said, sounding amused. “You agreed so quickly, too.”

Han Wenqing rolled his eyes. “What were you expecting, a refusal?”

“What if I had been ugly?” Ye Xiu asked. He was outright chuckling now, a playful grin tugging at his lips.

“Then I probably would have just turned around and left you there.”

“Old Han!”

“You asked.” Han Wenqing traced the rim of his coffee cup with his fingertip.

“Wow. And here I thought you loved me for more than my body.”

“Of course. I also love you for the way your face looks when I come on it.”

“Wow.”

“Mm.”

Ye Xiu shook his head and released a put-upon sigh (fake, of course), but he seemed to have been thoroughly distracted from whatever he was ruminating on before, so Han Wenqing continued.

“I love you because you’re cuddly when you wake up, but you try to deny it when I mention it. Because you make fun of me for no reason. Because you challenge me all the time and I can never turn you down.”

Now Ye Xiu was starting to look truly flustered. “What’s with this… Old Han, are you trying to increase your chances of winning? I’m telling you, sweet-talk doesn’t work on me unless I’m pinned to the bed and full of cock.”

It was always hilarious watching Ye Xiu try to cope with such blatant affection; his tolerance for dirty talk was so much higher.

But he would not be derailed. Han Wenqing leaned in and, maintaining eye contact, said lowly, “I love you because I believe in you. You are never helpless, and you can handle your own problems…”

He drifted off for a second, wondering how he should word this. In the end, he just said exactly what he was thinking. “But I prefer it when you allow me to help.”

“Sorry, was there are a misunderstanding somewhere? What exactly are you talking about?”

“I’ve shared my thoughts,” Han Wenqing said, and leaned back again. “Now it’s your turn. What’s on your mind?”

Silence. Ye Xiu’s gaze parted from his, and Han Wenqing felt the loss keenly.

“I don’t know. I keep wondering if I’m doing the right thing…” he murmured a while later, almost as if he’d forgotten Han Wenqing was there.

“The right thing?” Han Wenqing asked, confused.

Ye Xiu sighed and looked down at the table. “Excellent Era. I’m sure you’ve noticed that this season has been…difficult.”

“Yes.” It was hard to miss.

“I’m doing the best that I can,” Ye Xiu continued, “but I know it’s not up to only me; what the others do matters too. What the club does matters. And yet I can’t help but look at myself and wonder—”

“If it’s really your fault, somehow,” Han Wenqing finished. “If you’re failing.”

Ye Xiu nodded, mostly expressionless. It was hard to glean anything about his true thoughts beyond what he gave voice to, but—

Han Wenqing felt he understood what Ye Xiu was getting at. Excellent Era’s members had no shortage of skill, so a consistently subpar performance had to have another explanation. As team captain, Ye Xiu’s thoughts would immediately turn to teamwork; and as the core and ace player, teamwork revolved around him.

It had been years, but to Han Wenqing, it wasn’t that long ago when he had been struggling to make sense of his own team’s inability to take those final steps to the championship. Even knowing the strength of his opponents, the talent Tyranny had to compete against, he had often placed the blame on himself. So many sleepless nights were spent trying to figure out what he lacked or what the exact nature of his failure was.

Eventually, he came to accept the reality of competition: only one could win, and that one wasn’t him. Not for three years, and not in the years since Season 4.

Ye Xiu’s situation was wildly different. He peaked early and then slowly lost momentum—or Excellent Era did, at least. In Han Wenqing’s eyes, Ye Xiu was much the same as he’d ever been, professionally. Wilier, cleverer, more discerning—never lesser. He charged forward as resolutely as always, with just as much determination and passion as in Season 1.

“Isn’t it because you’ve been contending with management?”

The skin around Ye Xiu’s eyes tightened momentarily. “I wouldn’t call it contention…”

“Then what would you call it? They’ve been going behind your back about some things, right? Like the training schedules and such?”

Ye Xiu stared at him. “How do you even know about that.”

“Su Mucheng.”

“Of course.”

Han Wenqing shrugged. “If I can’t get answers from you, I can usually get them from her. But she complained about this to me—I didn’t ask.”

“It’s been a frustrating time,” Ye Xiu said with a huff. “I don’t know what they’re playing at, especially Cui Li.”

“Ignoring their motivations, they’re undermining your authority. That’s bound to affect your team’s performance.”

“Naturally.”

“So…it’s not anything you’re doing—not directly, and probably not indirectly, either.” Han Wenqing raised a judgmental eyebrow. “Unless you’ve done something to piss off management?”

Ye Xiu made a helpless gesture. “I genuinely can’t think of anything. I don’t interfere with other people’s work, I don’t ask them for anything if I don’t need it, I don’t even demand pay raises—”

“You should.”

“—and I certainly don’t intend to aim for their positions. I can’t understand where this sudden…coldness is coming from.”

Han Wenqing pursed his lips. No team treated their core, their ace, their captain, the person who won them three championships coldly. It was illogical.

“We’ll figure it out,” Han Wenqing said after turning it over in his mind for a minute. He didn’t know enough about Excellent Era’s internal affairs to make any decisive statements on this subject. He and Ye Xiu shared a lot, but they were still professionals. Some things had to be left unspoken.

“Mm,” Ye Xiu agreed absently, looking out the window again. He seemed so distant and distracted and Han Wenqing hadn’t intended for their date to go like this.

But it was what it was, and summer was not far off. Maybe things would improve by then, and if not, Han Wenqing would just sweet-talk Ye Xiu into temporarily forgetting his problems.

* * *

Han Wenqing soon realized he should have been more concerned. Excellent Era finished off Season 7 miserably, not even making it to playoffs. For a three-time championship team, the most decorated team in the Alliance, it was inconceivable.

People’s first instinct, of course, was to find fault in the team’s performance (and there were many faults to find). From there, the conclusion was that these faults had to trace back to Ye Qiu somehow, because he was the one calling the shots.

One can imagine the kind of speculation going on about Ye Qiu in Glory fans’ circles.

Han Wenqing was a professional, and besides that, he was in a committed relationship with “Ye Qiu.” He knew very well that Ye Xiu’s condition hadn’t changed at all. He was as skillful and sharp as anyone in their line of work could hope to be, and there was literally nothing he could do to improve Excellent Era’s performance if his teammates didn’t put in the effort themselves.

Han Wenqing knew this, and he reminded himself of it every time he saw or heard some comment about it as Season 7 came to an official close. He knew, and he shouldn’t be so angry at the audacity of certain people, to immediately point fingers at Ye Xiu.

Ye Xiu, who was blameless. Ye Xiu, who worked so hard. Ye Xiu, who never stopped loving Glory. Ye Xiu, who had left so much behind and endured countless hardships just to be here. Ye Xiu, who deserved more recognition than he received (and that was already a lot), who was underpaid and underappreciated and who Han Wenqing deeply, irrevocably loved.

Yes, he was biased. Sue him. Ye Xiu had his flaws, but what did a bunch of keyboard warriors know about that? What did the critics know?

Han Wenqing flew to Hangzhou as soon as he could detach himself from his work. Summer vacation was starting a little early for him, a fact which surprised his teammates and other club staff, but their habit of keeping their questions to themselves had persisted all these years. Nobody made anything of it, and even his boss just wished him a restful break, valiantly restraining his curiosity.

To say Ye Xiu was shocked to receive him was an understatement. Specifically, Ye Xiu was shocked to receive him so soon and in Excellent Era’s headquarters.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded, a baffled expression on his face.

Han Wenqing sighed. “Are you going to let me in? Someone will see me.”

“Well, that would be your own fault for showing up here in the first place,” Ye Xiu grumbled, but he asked the receptionist to log in Han Wenqing’s visit. She did so, stiff and wide-eyed.

Ye Xiu escorted Han Wenqing from the main lobby to the closest elevator, which they could then take to the dormitory floor. Almost every club building these days had a floor reserved for the team’s living quarters due to the increasing need for privacy. They wouldn’t draw much attention up there—at least not from the club.

Unless someone checked the registry, of course. Then they would know Ye Xiu had let a wolf into the sheep pen.

What Han Wenqing kept to himself was that he had no intention of masking his presence. He was here to be seen and known and gawked at.

And so, regardless of Ye Xiu’s urging, he walked slowly through the hallways, making a show of looking around. Several employees stared at him; some of them even stopped dead in their tracks. Their expressions were mostly blank, but a few revealed panic and confusion the likes of which Han Wenqing might never have the pleasure of witnessing again.

“Can you hurry up?” Ye Xiu whined. “Seriously, if you wanted to make a spectacle of yourself, you didn’t have to involve me.”

“You live here, everyone knows your face anyway.”

“That’s not the point.” Ye Xiu finally got them into the elevator, where they could escape the scrutiny. “What are you playing at? Are you planning to stay here?”

Han Wenqing pointedly hefted his duffel bag higher on his shoulder. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“With just one bag? And why wouldn’t you book a hotel? Actually, didn’t we have plans for this summer?”

“And we’ll be fulfilling those plans,” Han Wenqing said, “but first, I wanted to spend time with you.”

“We were going to spend time together later,” Ye Xiu replied doubtfully. He looked so suspicious, it was kind of cute.

“I wanted to spend time with you now.”

“I know you have an ulterior motive, you can just tell me.”

Han Wenqing shook his head. “I’d rather not.”

The elevator doors slid open following a chirpy ping; they were on the dormitory floor. Ye Xiu grabbed onto Han Wenqing’s arm and all but dragged him to his room. With no one watching, he was free to act as he wished.

Han Wenqing allowed himself to be shoved into Ye Xiu’s dorm room with little resistance. He dropped his bag near the bed and had a look around. He hadn’t been here before.

It was pretty much what Han Wenqing had imagined. There wasn’t much space, but Ye Xiu didn’t need it; he didn’t have a ton of belongings. Most of the room was occupied by a twin bed and a desk. The computer was on, of course, and a recording of a match was paused on the screen.

Ye Xiu still stood near the door, arms crossed over his chest. “You look like you’re judging me. Got something to say?”

“No.” Han Wenqing sat on the bed. “It’s just very like you.”

Some of the tension drained from Ye Xiu’s posture. He rolled his eyes and walked over to sit next to Han Wenqing, nimbly avoiding the discarded duffel bag. One of his hands rose to cup the back of Han Wenqing’s head and pull him in until their lips met in a sweet kiss.

“It’s good to see you,” Ye Xiu murmured against his mouth.

Han Wenqing hummed and leaned in closer, deepening the kiss before Ye Xiu could move away. He grabbed Ye Xiu’s waist and tried to force their bodies closer, but their position on the bed was just too awkward.

He was about to suggest that they lie down when Ye Xiu pulled back, his lips glistening and faintly red. There was a heat in his eyes that had Han Wenqing fighting the desire to push him down on the mattress.

“You really want to fuck right away?” Ye Xiu asked, sounding rather entertained by the prospect.

Han Wenqing shrugged. “It’s hard turning you down.”

“There’s nothing to turn down, you’re the horny one here.”

That was a fair point. In Han Wenqing’s defense, he was deeply in love and Ye Xiu was the most attractive person in the world to him.

“You kissed me first,” Han Wenqing said. He could be fair, but that didn’t mean he was willing to concede.

Ye Xiu just raised an eyebrow at him, smirking.

“But I would rather rest, to be honest. It’s getting late and I’ve had a long day.” He wasn’t lying; he’d had to rush to get his things ready and finish up work so he could fly here as soon as possible.

Ye Xiu nodded like he had expected this. “Well, I still have some things to do”—he gestured at the desk—“but I’ll be finished soon. You can feel free to lie down and sleep; I’ll join you in a bit.”

After nodding his agreement, Han Wenqing asked, “That’s the bathroom, right?” He pointed at the door in question.

“Yeah, I share it with Su Mucheng. She’ll be on the other side of the other door, so don’t do anything too crazy in there. Sound carries,” Ye Xiu added teasingly.

Han Wenqing rolled his eyes. “What crazy things would I get up to by myself?”

Ye Xiu let out a laugh and rose to sit at his desk.

In the bathroom, Han Wenqing relieved himself and splashed some water on his face. He smelled like the inside of a plane, so he looked around for some cologne and found one small, dusty bottle of the stuff nestled behind several skincare products. Su Mucheng’s, he assumed.

Thankfully, the scent was a pleasant one. Once Han Wenqing was feeling more refreshed, he left the bathroom and returned to the bed, where he stretched languidly.

It might have been more efficient to implement his plan as soon as he arrived, but Han Wenqing was tired. How hard could it be to flaunt his relationship with Ye Xiu in front of Excellent Era anyway? There would be plenty of time for that tomorrow.

So Han Wenqing closed his eyes and let himself doze off. He only stirred when Ye Xiu pressed up against his side, body warm and relaxed, murmuring that they should get up for dinner soon.

* * *

His first day in Excellent Era was a calm one, barring his grand entrance. Han Wenqing stuck to Ye Xiu’s side and followed him out to dinner with Su Mucheng. The three of them talked late into the night before heading back, and him and Ye Xiu fell almost immediately asleep when their pajama-clad bodies squeezed onto the twin bed.

The next morning, Ye Xiu said, “I have a team meeting. It’s not super formal, I’ll just be passing along the schedule for our final training sessions together.”

“So I can come?” Han Wenqing asked with raised eyebrows.

Ye Xiu smiled at him. “You can come. Maybe just…don’t say anything.”

“Fine.”

Han Wenqing took Ye Xiu’s hand as they made their way to the conference room on the floor below. That floor was mostly for work and training—Ye Xiu explained that the guild operated there as well, but only the high-level managers. Generally speaking, the team members didn’t interact with the guild much, and this floor was pretty quiet. Other than conference rooms and computer labs, there were several offices as well, such as Cui Li’s.

Cui Li was a familiar face to Han Wenqing, but he didn’t see him anywhere. The floor seemed largely empty, probably because it was still early. They nonetheless ran into a couple of employees, sleepy-eyed and clinging to disposable coffee cups like lifelines, and the reactions to Han Wenqing’s presence were as entertaining as he’d come to expect.

“I’ve never seen these people come awake so suddenly,” Ye Xiu commented.

“I’m very good at waking people up,” Han Wenqing told him.

Ye Xiu laughed and squeezed his hand. “I guess your face is a bit alarming.”

“If you have such a problem with it, why haven’t you dumped me?”

“I never said I have a problem with it.” Ye Xiu smirked at him. “In fact, I’ve become rather fond of your face. And other features.” His eyes moved conspicuously downward.

Dirty talk was a common occurrence between them; they had long ago made a game of saying the most disgusting things to each other with a straight face. It made conversations…interesting.

Su Mucheng had submitted a truly astounding number of complaints. But nobody forced her to hang out with them, so that was her problem.

Han Wenqing was about to give voice to the most explicit thought that occurred to him (Well, my face is shoved between your legs often enough), but then Ye Xiu stopped in front of a half-open door and said, “We’re here. Remember, comments to yourself.”

“Yes, I know.”

Ye Xiu tried to pull his hand free, but Han Wenqing pointedly hung on. When Ye Xiu glared at him, Han Wenqing just shrugged.

With a resigned sigh, Ye Xiu led them inside. Their hands were very obviously clasped together.

And so, naturally, that was what the eyes of Excellent Era’s members zeroed in on. There was blatant shock at seeing Han Wenqing first, of course, but when they saw him holding onto Ye Xiu’s hand…

Priceless.

Su Mucheng, who was sitting at the far side of the table, grinned at them. “Good morning!”

“Good morning,” Ye Xiu greeted languidly. He tugged Han Wenqing over to a pair of empty chairs. “Here, sit down. I’ll turn on the projector.”

Han Wenqing made himself comfortable as Ye Xiu prepared to start the meeting. He ignored the stares he was receiving and just pretended it was perfectly normal for him to be here.

“Okay, I’ll bite,” said Zhang Jiaxing into the baffled silence. “What’s he doing in this meeting? And in this building?”

“He’s visiting,” Ye Xiu replied.

“Why?” asked Guo Yang.

“That is the question, isn’t it.” Somehow, Ye Xiu managed to sound both indifferent and exasperated.

“Um…if he has no reason to be here, then…” He Ming hesitated, looking around at all the other blank expressions at the table. He didn’t continue.

“I have a reason,” Han Wenqing said, because he wasn’t above messing with people, despite what many seemed to believe.

A pause as the team presumably waited for him to state the reason. Han Wenqing flexed his fingers, performed a few wrist mobility exercises, and kept his mouth shut. Ye Xiu had told him to keep any comments to himself; he was just following directions.

“Where’s Liu Hao?” Ye Xiu asked as he sat next to Han Wenqing. He had a remote for the projector in one hand; the other was quickly clasped by Han Wenqing once again. “We’re just waiting on him.”

He received no answer. Han Wenqing scoffed softly and raised Ye Xiu’s seized hand as if to examine it. He began massaging the back of it, in full view of Excellent Era’s mystified members.

About a minute passed in this awkward manner. Su Mucheng seemed to be the only person unaffected by Han Wenqing’s prominent display of his and Ye Xiu’s…friendliness…besides Ye Xiu himself. Han Wenqing swore he glimpsed a thumbs-up from her out of the corner of his eye.

“I’m here!” Liu Hao’s loud voice announced as he all but strutted into the room. He had a coffee cup in hand and a wide smile on his face. “Let’s get started!”

There was something to be said for atmosphere when it came to moments such as this. The mood in the conference room was ambiguous and tense, everyone’s attention on Ye Xiu and Han Wenqing despite all efforts to pretend otherwise. Then Liu Hao barged in with all his smug energy and—

“Hm? What’s going on?” he asked idly as he made his way to an empty seat, not really looking around.

“Good morning,” Han Wenqing said, since no one else had.

Liu Hao’s gaze jerked up and he startled so badly his coffee spilled over his hand. He yelped and hissed out a heartfelt “Shit!” as he clutched his smarting fingers, waving them about frantically.

Immediately, a few people unfroze and stood. He Ming yelled, “I’ll get some paper!” unnecessarily loudly, and ran out. Those who had come to their feet hovered near Liu Hao, but upon receiving his glare, they slowly sat back down.

“What the hell?” Liu Hao demanded. “H—Captain Han? What are you doing here?”

“I’m visiting.”

Liu Hao stared at him as if waiting for him to go on. When Han Wenqing didn’t, he tried a smile. It came out more like a grimace. “Ah, well… Welcome to Club Excellent Era, Captain Han. Are you…enjoying your stay?”

“I only got here yesterday afternoon.”

Lost for words, Liu Hao took his seat. Fortunately, He Ming returned about then and handed off a bunch of paper towels to Liu Hao, helping him clean up the mess he’d made on the table and himself.

That had been a lot of coffee.

“So,” Ye Xiu said, like this was nothing out of the ordinary, “shall we begin?”

The schedule appeared on the far wall, detailing what Excellent Era would be doing for the next week before they’d be liberated for the summer. Ye Xiu explained the reasoning behind the schedule with a satisfactory amount of depth, pointing out areas where the team could stand to put in more work and tying that back to problems they’d faced in official matches.

It was as he was wrapping it up that Liu Hao raised his hand and politely said, “Sorry to interrupt, but… Captain, is it okay to talk about all this with Captain Han here?”

Ye Xiu just looked at Liu Hao for a second. “If you objected to his presence, why didn’t you say so before I got started?”

“Oh, I didn’t want to get in your way,” Liu Hao said, playing up his innocence.

“Hm. There’s no need to worry. I assure you that every team in the Alliance has extensively analyzed our performance this season. Our weaknesses aren’t exactly hidden.” Ye Xiu patted Han Wenqing’s arm. “I’m certain Captain Han has heard it all from Zhang Xinjie already.”

Han Wenqing nodded. Liu Hao’s eyes fell to where Ye Xiu had patted him, then narrowed on their joined hands, which were still on the table in clear view.

Ye Xiu had had to reach around his own body to touch Han Wenqing with his free hand, a gesture that had only brought the two of them even closer. Their proximity was painfully obvious, judging by the way Excellent Era was looking at them.

“It’s more of a professional concern than a strategic one,” Liu Hao said after gathering his thoughts and rallying. “Captain, really, doesn’t this strike you as…inappropriate?”

With a tilt of his head, Ye Xiu said, “How so?”

“He’s…a member of Tyranny. A competitor.”

“Yes. And the competitive season is over.”

“He shouldn’t be aware of our training schedule.”

“Don’t we talk about our schedules in QQ all the time?” Ye Xiu raised his eyebrow.

Liu Hao floundered for a moment. “Then, what about the analysis you just shared?”

“Didn’t I mention earlier that everyone has probably made this same exact analysis? To be honest, I kept it brief. Nothing of what I said hasn’t already been published in reviews and critiques you can find online. Now, those people had a lot to say about our performance.”

“It’s the principle of the thing!” Liu Hao insisted, then seemed to realize how close he was to losing his composure. “Sorry, Captain. I’m just concerned about our team.”

“That’s nice of you,” Ye Xiu said emotionlessly, “but it’s not your job to look after the team; it’s mine. Don’t worry about it, Liu Hao, just stick to what you’re good at and train hard this next week. Then we can all enjoy our summer break.”

Han Wenqing had to fight hard to keep his reaction off his face. The others around the table didn’t seem to share his depth of self-control because they looked like they’d just witnessed a murder. Su Mucheng, in particular, was staring hard at the table and visibly holding back laughter.

“Whatever you say, Captain,” Liu Hao said at last, and he even managed not to sound too obviously spiteful.

“Well, if that’s all cleared up.” Ye Xiu stood, pulling on Han Wenqing’s hand. “I have to go show Old Han around some more. Have a nice day, and I’ll see you all after lunch. Don’t be late!”

* * *

“I can’t believe you,” Ye Xiu said angrily as he pushed Han Wenqing into the bed.

Han Wenqing fell as gracefully as he could. It didn’t once cross his mind to protest the rough treatment. Ye Xiu was mesmerizingly intense when he was riled up, and the sex Han Wenqing was sure they were about to have was bound to be amazing.

Ye Xiu straddled his thighs and began tugging his shirt up. Han Wenqing lifted his upper body off the bed briefly to let the shirt come off, then relaxed again as Ye Xiu ran greedy hands over his chest and abdomen.

“You are going to get me into so much trouble,” Ye Xiu breathed against his lips.

Han Wenqing smirked knowingly. “And you mind?”

“Maybe not.”

They made out for several minutes before undressing the rest of the way. Ye Xiu’s mouth was swollen and red by then, and Han Wenqing was sporting several fresh hickeys on his neck and shoulders.

Ye Xiu was still determined to be on top, though, and he sucked Han Wenqing’s cock into his mouth like he was dying for it, like it was the only thing he wanted. The sight of it was as impactful as it always was. Han Wenqing lay back and tried not to thrust upward too hard, restraining his movements as much as he could.

But Ye Xiu didn’t make it easy for him. He swallowed Han Wenqing down until his cockhead was brushing the back of his throat. And then he just—did it again and again and again, until Han Wenqing was sure he was going to come before he could even get inside Ye Xiu.

He should have known there was no danger of that happening. Ye Xiu wrapped his long fingers around the base of Han Wenqing’s cock and squeezed as he slowly, languorously let it slip out of his mouth. The tip knocked into his chin as he lifted his head, met Han Wenqing’s eyes, and licked his lips.

“Are you punishing me?” Han Wenqing asked, breathless and hoarse with arousal.

“Of course not,” Ye Xiu said. But when he grabbed the bottle of lube under the mattress and turned around to finger himself, giving Han Wenqing a perfect view of his fingers pushing into his ass, Han Wenqing knew he was lying.

Even so, Han Wenqing enjoyed the spectacle; he enjoyed almost everything Ye Xiu did, because Ye Xiu was the one doing them. He had a talent for making the filthiest, horniest things seem beautiful and elegant, and the way he fingered himself was no exception.

Han Wenqing was breathing hard when Ye Xiu inserted his third finger. He couldn’t take it anymore, couldn’t just lie there and watch. Before he even knew what he was doing, he reached out to grasp Ye Xiu’s hips and pulled.

Surprisingly, Ye Xiu came, sliding on the bed until his ass was hovering over Han Wenqing’s face.

Experimentally, Han Wenqing licked. The lube had a slightly fruity flavor to it, which was weird, but not bad. He pressed his mouth against Ye Xiu’s hole and stuck out his tongue, forcing it inside.

Above him, Ye Xiu let out a small cry. “I wanted to do this to you when we were in that room.”

Han Wenqing broke away for a moment to ask, “You wanted to shove my face into your ass?”

“Yes, you insufferable idiot. I wanted to shut you up, and I wanted everyone to see—ah—see what you do to me, how you pleasure me and make me come.”

Han Wenqing hummed against his skin, licking more frantically. He was getting drool and lube all over himself, but he didn’t care. He would do a lot worse if it meant making Ye Xiu feel good.

After enduring even more of Ye Xiu’s moaning and squirming, Han Wenqing finally shoved two fingers inside him to test the give of muscle and, satisfied, he pushed Ye Xiu’s body away.

As Ye Xiu moved back down toward his legs, Han Wenqing sat up and knelt on the bed, careful not to knock into Ye Xiu. It was challenging to maneuver so much in a relatively cramped space, but they made the most of it. And Han Wenqing had to admit it didn’t matter if they were in a cheap motel or a five-star resort: the sight of Ye Xiu’s ass lifted in his direction, waiting to be taken, would never be anything but magnificent.

Han Wenqing edged closer until his cock was brushing against Ye Xiu’s raised ass, then closer still. He pushed his cockhead against Ye Xiu’s wet hole, reveling in the knowledge that Ye Xiu wanted this so bad his muscles were twitching in anticipation. Then he pushed in—just a tiny bit, just enough for part of the head to disappear into welcoming flesh.

Ye Xiu had fingered himself open, and Han Wenqing had thoroughly eaten him out, but they didn’t do this often enough for Ye Xiu to ever loosen up properly. The last time Han Wenqing fucked him had been during their last match (not literally during the match, but after match day), and that was…months ago now. He was so tight now that it felt almost tortuous to sink any deeper.

But Han Wenqing did, because they both wanted it so bad and they couldn’t wait. There was enough lube to ease the way, and Ye Xiu hadn’t tensed for even a second; it wasn’t painful.

The groan Ye Xiu let out was nonetheless very loud. Han Wenqing could see the way his fingers clenched the bedsheets as he tried to withhold the full force of his reaction. He was clearly overwhelmed.

“Need me to stop?” Han Wenqing asked.

“No, keep going,” Ye Xiu insisted, panting. “I like the stretch.”

So Han Wenqing kept going, until his erection disappeared entirely into Ye Xiu’s body. Reddened skin was stretched tight around the base of Han Wenqing’s cock, shining with lube and spit. Han Wenqing stared down at where they were connected for several moments before moving his hands from Ye Xiu’s asscheeks to his hips, gripping them gently.

“Tell me if it’s too much,” he said, and began to slide out. The drag was immensely satisfying; there was nothing quite like it. But the sensation of pushing back inside, of being swallowed up by Ye Xiu, of Ye Xiu’s walls clinging to him—that was even better.

A few more experimental movements followed, enough time to savor the moment. Then Han Wenqing was thrusting in earnest, fucking into the body in front of him with resolve and a desire to please.

Their grunts and groans mixed until they couldn’t even tell who was making the most noise. Ye Xiu was especially vocal once his walls relaxed a little, letting Han Wenqing push inside with less resistance. He buried his face in the mattress, muffling his cries, and shuddered.

Han Wenqing didn’t make any effort to quiet himself. Instead, he started talking to Ye Xiu, confessing every lustful thought that had run through his head since they’d reunited yesterday.

“I wanted to push you against a wall and kiss you the moment I saw you. I didn’t care about who noticed us, I didn’t think about what it would look like if it spread to the media—I just wanted to kiss you so badly.”

“In that conference room, I kept wondering what it would be like if you sat in my lap and let me touch you while you talked. It was barely tolerable just holding your hand when I wanted to do so much more. And when your teammates kept looking at us, I wanted to take your hand and put it on my cock. I was hard just imagining it.”

“The way you talked to Liu Hao—I wanted to smack him across the face, but I wanted to fuck you more. I like it when you mouth off to me, but I love watching you mouth off to other people, too. Makes me want to bend you over and fuck you until you’re sweet for me, begging for more of my cock. You sound so helpless when you beg, so soft and needy.”

“Dammit,” Ye Xiu gritted out, and Han Wenqing saw him twist his head to the side and pant like he was struggling to breathe. “Now I’m going to fantasize about you fucking me on that table every time I’m in there.”

“You’d be good for me, wouldn’t you?” Han Wenqing asked indulgently, not once letting up on the pounding he was giving Ye Xiu’s ass. “You’d just lie against the table, let me strip you down, finger you, prepare you—”

“Yes, yes!”

“—and then you’d spread your legs and wait patiently as I fed my cock into your ass, until I was all the way inside you, and then you’d ask me to fuck you.”

“Yes, please, fuck me.”

“I am fucking you,” Han Wenqing said with a mean little laugh, and there was no doubt that Ye Xiu was feeling it. He was rocking forward with every thrust of Han Wenqing’s hips, and the sound of their skin slapping was more prominent that anything else.

“Fuck me harder!”

Han Wenqing bit his lip and did as he was told, picking up the pace and exerting even more force than he already was. The room around them began to blur and fade as his whole world narrowed down to Ye Xiu and pleasure and the heat building in his gut.

He came just after Ye Xiu did, giving in to the tempting clench of hot flesh around his cock. He weakly thrust in a few more times as he spilled his seed, then let himself slip out.

Ye Xiu fell over on his side and lay there, breathing roughly as he came down from his high. Han Wenqing stretched out behind him and threw an arm around his sweaty body. He didn’t hold him close lest they overheat, but the contact was something they both appreciated.

“Wow,” Ye Xiu said several minutes later. “Maybe you should visit more often.”

“I will,” Han Wenqing promised. “Any time you need me, I’ll be here.”

“I’ll let you know when I’m in need of your bedroom services,” Ye Xiu said humorously, patting his arm. “This is the best stress relief I’ve had in ages.”

Han Wenqing snorted and pressed his face into the back of Ye Xiu’s neck. With a kiss to his nape, he said, “I’m very good at stress relief.”

“I thought you were good at waking people up?”

“I’m overbearingly talented.”

Ye Xiu chuckled and tangled their fingers together over his belly. “Can’t argue with that.”

* * *

There wasn’t much for Han Wenqing to do for a while. When Ye Xiu was training, he used Ye Xiu’s dorm computer and played in the Heavenly Domain with a smurf account Ye Xiu kept tucked in a desk drawer. He had a dozen random account cards squirreled away, most of them presumably lent to him by Excellent Dynasty, but the Striker he had was unattached and anonymous.

Han Wenqing had a suspicion that Ye Xiu had raised this character with the intent to let him play with it, but he would rather not say anything. Most of the time, when Ye Xiu did kind, selfless things, he didn’t want any acknowledgement for it.

So Han Wenqing just got new equipment for the Striker and messed around with other gamers in the wild. He didn’t go so far as to provoke average players into a PvP, because that would be no fun for anyone involved, but some harmless competition as they rushed to farm more monsters was all right in his book. He avoided the club guilds and occasionally joined a party for a series of dungeon raids, but that was the extent of it.

After two days on his own, Ye Xiu announced that they were taking a morning off and he could spend more quality time with Han Wenqing. Now free to take advantage of a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed Ye Xiu, Han Wenqing fingered him and sucked his cock until he came.

Once they recovered, they then had lunch together with Su Mucheng—who made more than a few snide comments about how rosy-cheeked and self-satisfied they both looked—and then returned to the club for Excellent Era’s afternoon training session. Han Wenqing once again exiled himself to Ye Xiu’s room.

Around the time Ye Xiu should be finishing the day’s scheduled training, an impatient and bored Han Wenqing left the dorm to pick him up, so to speak. He’d already learned his way around, and he found that if he stuck to certain areas of the building—mainly, the ones he was seen in with Ye Xiu—no one was willing to comment on his wandering about.

Han Wenqing was willing to take advantage of his so-called menacing aura if it meant he could go see his significant other whenever he wanted. He had refrained from popping in on training sessions because it was rather unprofessional and Ye Xiu wouldn’t thank him for the interruption; but he seemed to return from these sessions with far less energy than Han Wenqing would have expected. It was…concerning.

Ye Xiu loved Glory; he loved competing, and there was no aspect of his career that he’d neglect. Training shouldn’t drain him so much. And since he was unwilling to elaborate on his issues with Excellent Era, Han Wenqing could only rely on context clues and imagination.

He had a suspicion, therefore, that the occasional interruption wouldn’t be entirely unwelcome. As long as he didn’t interfere with anything, Ye Xiu might benefit from Han Wenqing’s presence.

And Han Wenqing was here exactly so that Ye Xiu could benefit from his presence, in whatever manner he preferred. Whether he wanted affection, sex, support—Han Wenqing was more than happy to give it to him.

When Han Wenqing arrived at Excellent Era’s main training room, however, he was too late to interrupt anything. The team members were leaving one by one, dispersing in the hallway like children after school. Han Wenqing made no attempt to speak with any of them even as he passed them.

Then, he saw Ye Xiu in the doorway, his expression as blank as ever. Liu Hao was standing near him, and the way his body was oriented in Ye Xiu’s direction was a dead giveaway that he was about to say something.

But at that moment, Ye Xiu spotted him. His features gained a touch of animation and he raised his hand in a lackadaisical wave. “Old Han.”

“You’re done already,” Han Wenqing commented, not quite stepping into the computer lab, but not blocking the doorway, either.

Ye Xiu nodded. He walked out unhurriedly, a folder tucked under his arm. “Yeah, we wrapped things up a few minutes early.”

“Hello, Senior Han,” Liu Hao said as he emerged behind Ye Xiu, all smiles.

The attempt at familiarity was an offense Han Wenqing was willing to overlook, but following his (grudging) nod of acknowledgment, Liu Hao quickly said, “You’re not here for our captain, are you? I’m afraid he’s going to be busy.”

“Busy?” Han Wenqing repeated, giving Ye Xiu a baffled look.

Ye Xiu gestured at the folder he was holding. He seemed rather helpless. “Some things came up… I put together a brief analysis and now I have to go submit it to management.”

Han Wenqing, if anything, was even more baffled. Ye Xiu could just send documents via email, right? Why did he print his analysis—whatever that was about—and volunteer to deliver it himself, when he could ask someone else to do it?

Abruptly, it dawned on Han Wenqing that this unnecessary dallying could be Ye Xiu’s intention. He wanted an excuse to talk to management, or more accurately, he needed one. Some “things” had come up during training that demanded attention, so Ye Xiu was going to go demand attention.

Looking at the partly rueful, partly uncomfortable expression on Ye Xiu’s face, Han Wenqing was confident he had hit the nail on the head.

“I see,” Han Wenqing said neutrally, “I’ll just walk with you, then.”

Ye Xiu’s eyes widened briefly, then narrowed. He snuck a glance at Liu Hao, who was watching them with a furrowed brow. “All right. I guess I can show you around some more…”

“And afterward, you can show me some…other things, can’t you?” Han Wenqing asked, deliberately deepening his voice.

The reaction was just barely visible on Ye Xiu’s face, but Liu Hao had a lot less talent for subtlety. His expression did something positively hilarious before it finally settled into faint surprise.

“Um, is the relationship between you seniors…”

Ye Xiu blinked at Liu Hao innocently. “Hm?”

Han Wenqing also raised his eyebrows, as if urging Liu Hao to continue.

But Liu Hao, evidently, did not want to go there. He looked like he’d been caught in a very compromising position. Han Wenqing couldn’t imagine what he was going through.

“Let’s go,” he said to Ye Xiu, and they walked away without further comment. Before they turned the corner, he raised his arm and placed it around Ye Xiu’s shoulders.

Liu Hao, left behind to witness this, gritted his teeth. He had absolutely no idea what was going on or what had just happened, but he got the feeling he had come out on the losing end of a confrontation, somehow.

And what the hell was up with that arm? Maybe it would have looked like a friendly gesture under different circumstances, but this was Han Wenqing and Ye Qiu! They had no business being friendly with each other!

Besides…the way they were standing so close together…Han Wenqing leaning in to listen to something Ye Xiu was saying…that wasn’t very friendly. It was more than friendly.

Something was going on between those two, Liu Hao was sure of it. But why were they flaunting it so readily? Were they just that careless? Did they believe they could do so without consequence?

Liu Hao was disgruntled, but he could still use this to his advantage; he just had to play his cards right. A few concerned comments made to his teammates, a “slip of the tongue” in front of a manager—it didn’t take a lot of effort to get rumors going around here, and after all the work he had put in to weather away everyone’s faith in Ye Qiu, it would be a matter of course to convince them that he was engaging in inappropriate relations with an opponent.

Yes, Liu Hao could use this.

(Unfortunately, he failed to realize how unbelievable the very notion of Ye Qiu and Han Wenqing in a close personal relationship sounded.

“You saw them! You saw them holding hands!”

“That could just be a friendship thing.”

“A friendship thing, between Ye Qiu and Han Wenqing. Are you listening to yourself?”

“Yeah, okay, but it’s less ridiculous than them dating.”

“For the love of—”)

* * *

Excellent Era had a few smaller computer labs scattered throughout the team’s main floor. These rooms usually had anywhere from two to six computers and were often used for closed training sessions or when the official training room was unavailable for whatever reason. Essentially, they were backup computers, and anyone who worked here could access them with permission and a key.

Han Wenqing found that holing up in a computer lab with Ye Xiu and playing Glory for hours on end was pretty much an ideal date. They played together fairly often anyway, but being in the same room made it more enjoyable, somehow.

Maybe it had to do with the fact that Han Wenqing could reach over any time he wanted and touch Ye Xiu. Or that Ye Xiu could turn his head and smile at him in that disarming way he had. Or that they could share a kiss after every dungeon raid—not because it was such an accomplishment, but just because they wanted to.

They had already been at it for about four hours when the door suddenly opened and in walked a stranger.

“Ye Qiu,” he said, only marginally polite in his manner, “what are you doing here?”

Ye Xiu let his headphones rest around his neck and swiveled his chair around. “Is there something you need?”

“Sorry to interrupt, but don’t you have training soon?”

Ye Xiu conspicuously checked the time on the digital clock on the wall. “Not for another hour. Since when does the summer training schedule have anything to do with you?”

“I was just concerned,” the man demurred. “But also, I was hoping this room would be available soon…”

“Well, you’re welcome to come play with us,” Ye Xiu said with a slow smile, lazily waving a hand at the other two computers, currently unoccupied.

The man’s eyes immediately moved to Han Wenqing, as if gauging his reaction. Han Wenqing just glared, hoping to impress upon him how not welcome he was to play with them.

“Ah, maybe not,” the man said after a long pause. “I’ll just wait for you to finish up.”

“It’s your call,” Ye Xiu replied, and turned to face his computer.

The man dallied for a few seconds more, like he was waiting for a proper dismissal or perhaps mustering the nerve to say something. Ye Xiu seemed content to ignore him, but Han Wenqing felt differently: he wanted him to leave already. Why was he just standing in the doorway like that? What an idiot.

To encourage him to run along, Han Wenqing edged his chair just that little bit closer to Ye Xiu and reached out to squeeze his upper thigh. “Why don’t we go to the Arena? PK for a while?”

Ye Xiu, who apparently forgot they still had an audience, chuckled and said, “I was wondering how long you’d hold out.”

A second later, he straightened and tossed Han Wenqing a mild glare. Han Wenqing almost snorted. Ye Xiu only ever furrowed his brow like that when he wished he could take back something he said or did.

Before Ye Xiu could backtrack or pretend this interaction wasn’t blatant flirtation, Han Wenqing squeezed his thigh again and unhurriedly retreated, offering a challenging (heated) look as he did so.

Ye Xiu slowly blinked at him in silent but heartfelt communication: What the hell.

Han Wenqing just waited to see what the interloper would do.

Gape, apparently, and stare for several tense moments before fleeing.

The door shut behind him with an abruptness that had both Ye Xiu and Han Wenqing looking at each other with flat expressions.

“Was that necessary?” Ye Xiu drawled.

Han Wenqing didn’t so much as twitch. “No, but it worked.”

“What worked?”

Han Wenqing didn’t deign to reply. Ye Xiu cracked a smile. “Oh, I see. Were you trying to imply that we were about to get up to another kind of PK?”

“No, but I do like the sound of that.”

“You would,” he said in a vaguely scolding manner, but his smile was only widening. “Do you know who that was?”

“Should I?”

“Chen Yehui,” Ye Xiu said, “the person in charge of Excellent Dynasty right now. He wanted to go pro, applied for membership more than once. He had some potential, but I ultimately decided he wouldn’t be a good fit for this team.”

“So now he bothers you whenever he can find an excuse to seek you out?” Because, honestly, that whole interruption had been bullshit. A guild manager didn’t simply walk into an occupied training room and ask the team captain when he would be finished. And acting so surprised when he opened the door to find them in here? Training rooms had keys. Obviously, if this room’s key couldn’t be found, then it was in use.

“I guess so. He’s always been a rather petty person,” Ye Xiu confided.

Han Wenqing scoffed. He was finding out that a lot of people around here could be petty. But it did seem that management—not only the team manager, but the guild managers as well—treated Ye Xiu with an especially daring sort of disregard.

Did this Chen Yehui have something to do with it? Had he passed off Ye Xiu’s rejection as his own personal sob story and sold it to his closest coworkers as justification for why Ye Xiu wasn’t worthy of respect after all? Did people like Cui Li—who Han Wenqing had only had the pleasure of running into once since arriving here—just overlook this behavior, indulging in plausible deniability when they were asked to act?

Knowing Ye Xiu, though, they probably hadn’t been asked to act at all. Not directly, anyway. Ye Xiu wasn’t the kind of person who complained about interpersonal issues. This was a problem he would prefer to approach sideways instead of head-on, Han Wenqing knew, recalling the incident yesterday. He would try the gamut of manipulation tactics before he ever outright said anything.

It was a trait of Ye Xiu’s that frustrated Han Wenqing to no end, and at the same time, was perfectly justified in this scenario. Whatever the club was trying to do to Ye Xiu, they weren’t being terribly obvious about it. Chances were, if Ye Xiu did complain, then something would be done—but it wasn’t likely to end in Ye Xiu’s favor.

Regardless, Han Wenqing couldn’t do much about this situation except stick to Ye Xiu’s side. He hadn’t been asked to help, which meant Ye Xiu wanted to handle things his way.

Han Wenqing didn’t think Ye Xiu was handling much, but if he wanted to help him right now, then the best way to do so that he could think of was…stress relief.

He logged out of Glory, not even sparing the time to remove the account card from the reader. “Come here.”

Ye Xiu faced him fully. “What?”

“Sit on my lap.”

“Old Han, I don’t think these chairs are designed for that.” But Ye Xiu still followed his example and abandoned the game.

The chair did creak a little when Ye Xiu sat, and because the armrests were so inconveniently placed, the fit was awkward. He couldn’t straddle Han Wenqing; his only option was to lean back against him.

Han Wenqing wrapped his arms around Ye Xiu’s middle and snuck a hand under his shirt. He stroked the warm skin of Ye Xiu’s belly, edging forward just far enough for his breath to fan over Ye Xiu’s neck and ear. “Maybe you should have locked the door.”

“Are you going to let me get up?” Ye Xiu asked, amused.

“No,” Han Wenqing said, and tightened his grip.

“Spicy.”

Han Wenqing hummed. He and Ye Xiu were no strangers to sex in public spaces. Given how infrequently they saw each other, it was difficult to pass up any chance to get off.

Ye Xiu leaned more of his weight into Han Wenqing in clear encouragement, and Han Wenqing responded by edging his fingers beneath the waistline of his jeans. A nip to the ear had Ye Xiu shivering gently.

Such an obvious weakness couldn’t be borne. Ye Xiu immediately complained, grumbling, “Is this actually going to go somewhere?”

With a smug grin, Han Wenqing proceeded to undo Ye Xiu’s pants and palmed his cock over his underwear. He wasn’t hard yet, but he was getting there. Han Wenqing rubbed experimentally, keeping his movements light, and didn’t fail to notice the tension that rippled throughout Ye Xiu’s body.

Pleased at the reaction, Han Wenqing then tugged Ye Xiu’s underwear down as best as he could, aided by Ye Xiu himself. When he finally held Ye Xiu’s bare cock in his hand, he gave it a squeeze and then a firm stroke, making sure his grip was precisely as Ye Xiu liked it.

Ye Xiu’s moan was a gift—exactly the gift Han Wenqing had been hoping to receive. He figured out a rhythm that worked for them both, given the limitations of their position, and jacked Ye Xiu off in earnest.

“Wenqing,” Ye Xiu breathed just before he came.

Han Wenqing scraped his teeth over the sensitive skin of Ye Xiu’s neck as he milked out a few final dribbles of cum from the slowly softening erection in his hand. Ye Xiu shuddered as he neared the threshold of overstimulation but did not protest; the way his hand clutched Han Wenqing’s forearm was more encouraging than anything.

“Want more?” Han Wenqing asked, testing the waters.

“Yes,” Ye Xiu murmured after a moment.

Han Wenqing thought about it. There should be enough room, and this flooring was easy to clean.

“Stand up so I can fuck you,” Han Wenqing whispered in Ye Xiu’s ear, withdrawing.

Ye Xiu got to his feet somewhat shakily. He didn’t bother to adjust his sagging pants and just propped his hands on the table, bent his spine until his ass stuck out invitingly, and spread his legs. All Han Wenqing had to do was drag his jeans and underwear down to his ankles.

“Are you really going to fuck me in a club training room?” Ye Xiu asked with an undercurrent of wonder. Almost like he couldn’t believe this was happening.

“Do you object?”

“Fuck no,” was Ye Xiu’s immediate reply. “I’ve been fantasizing about this for years.”

“Good to know.”

“…But please lock the door before you touch my ass.”

Han Wenqing snorted and quickly moved to the door. The key was still inserted in the lock, so he just twisted it and then tried to turn the knob. The door did not open.

“Satisfied?” Han Wenqing asked as he made his way back to Ye Xiu. His bare ass in the blue-tinted light from the screens was a work of art.

“Very. Now fuck me, Old Han.”

Han Wenqing used the cum on his hands as lube—not the best substitute, but it would have to do. Ye Xiu’s ass had seen enough action recently to whittle away most resistance to Han Wenqing’s fingers anyway. It was easy as anything to get two fingers in him and just—

“Oh!” It was the loudest Ye Xiu had been yet.

Running his other hand down Ye Xiu’s buttock and the back of his thigh soothingly, Han Wenqing continued to explore, scissoring his fingers now and then to loosen Ye Xiu up further. He eventually started stimulating his prostate again, prompting even more heady noises from Ye Xiu.

“Is this good?”

“You know it is, you bastard,” Ye Xiu bit out.

“Is that any way to talk to the person with his fingers inside you?”

“You tell me,” Ye Xiu said, but he sounded strained.

Han Wenqing’s lips curved in a devious smile and he finally added a third finger. The stretch, judging by Ye Xiu’s short groan, was delicious.

That was as good a sign as any that Ye Xiu was ready for more, and Han Wenqing reluctantly pulled away after tormen—pleasuring him for a while longer. His pants were feeling rather tight around the crotch; he was impressed that he had been able to last this long without so much as nudging the bulge between his legs.

But Han Wenqing was nothing if not an appreciator of delayed gratification. As soon as he pulled down his zipper and freed his erection, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that waiting had been worth it.

Ye Xiu tossed a glare over his shoulder. “What are you doing back there?”

“Savoring the moment,” Han Wenqing replied, running a sticky hand over his flushed member. He traced his cockhead gently, then guided it to Ye Xiu’s hole.

Ye Xiu’s head dropped as Han Wenqing pushed inside him. What little was revealed of his back shone with a thin layer of sweat, accentuated by the glow of the monitors on either side of him. The room was silent but for the hum of the computers’ fans and Ye Xiu’s heavy breathing.

Han Wenqing inhaled sharply when he buried himself to the hilt. It took more restraint than he cared to admit not to immediately pull out and start ramming into Ye Xiu. Instead, like the conscientious lover he always tried to be, he stroked the dimples at the bottom of Ye Xiu’s back and asked, “Still all right?”

“Mmm…yes.” Ye Xiu lifted his head and pushed into him the slightest bit. His walls flexed around Han Wenqing’s cock; the grip of his body was almost overwhelmingly tight. “Give me more.”

So Han Wenqing gave him more. A brief withdrawal, a powerful jerk of the hips to sheath himself again, and the friction was just on this side of too much but it was good enough that he never even thought about stopping. Ye Xiu kept making those sounds that drove Han Wenqing crazy, and as he grew rougher, the skin around Ye Xiu’s hole grew redder. Their panting, their grunts, their moans could not drown out the meaty slap of flesh against flesh.

At the height of their passion, the whole table was shuddering and Ye Xiu had to give up on his hands and use his forearms to keep himself in place. He was virtually incoherent before Han Wenqing, only ever speaking up to tell him to keep going, that it felt amazing, that he was going to feel the ache in his body for days after this.

“Damn it, Ye Xiu,” Han Wenqing groaned, and came without another sound.

Ye Xiu followed him shortly; Han Wenqing didn’t miss the way one of his hands had migrated toward his crotch. He definitely didn’t miss the way Ye Xiu’s loosened walls clenched, and then Han Wenqing had to groan again as the last of his seed was squeezed out of him.

In the aftermath, he leaned over Ye Xiu for a time, almost resting against his back. The room was air-conditioned, but the heat they’d generated kept them warm as they recovered.

Eventually, Han Wenqing straightened and gently pulled out of Ye Xiu. Cum began dribbling out of his swollen hole, and without thinking, Han Wenqing stuffed two fingers back inside him to try and stop the leaking.

“Ugh,” Ye Xiu said. “We really ought to have used a condom. What am I supposed to do, waddle back to my room?”

The task of getting off the table was apparently a laborious one, because Ye Xiu took his sweet time. Han Wenqing removed his fingers—keeping all that cum inside him was very much a lost cause—and instead helped Ye Xiu get his underwear and pants back to their rightful places.

Ye Xiu turned to face him. His crooked smile and sweat-damp, rumbled hair made for quite a picture. “So. How was that?”

Han Wenqing pulled up his zipper and buttoned his pants, then did the same for Ye Xiu, who was still rather dazed, judging by the look in his eyes. He dropped a kiss on his lips. “Amazing. Now it smells like sex in here, though.”

They hadn’t made much of a mess, barring the splatters of cum on the floor, and nothing was out of place, but—

Well. Anyone with sexual experience would be able to tell something had gone down if they were to walk in.

“Well, that’s a problem for whoever uses this lab after us.” Ye Xiu winked at him. “Go get us some paper towels from the bathroom. Discreetly.”

It was only when Han Wenqing was fetching the requested paper towels that he remembered exactly who had laid claim to the training room next. Han Wenqing didn’t even try to hide his smile as he left the bathroom.

* * *

In the evening, after training was done, Ye Xiu said, “Let’s go out.”

Han Wenqing, who had been typing away on his phone, looked up with a raised eyebrow. “Out? Out where?”

“To a restaurant or something, I don’t know. I’m in a good mood.” Ye Xiu approached the bed and threw himself across Han Wenqing’s outstretched legs. “Date me.”

“I am dating you.”

“Date me outside.”

And so, they left the club for a dinner date. Su Mucheng had to sit this one out, but Han Wenqing still asked her to recommend a restaurant. While Su Mucheng wasn’t exactly a social butterfly, she certainly ventured outside the building more often than Ye Xiu did; she knew some of the better places around the city.

They couldn’t really go somewhere super fancy at this time of night without a reservation, but Ye Xiu wasn’t a difficult man to please. Han Wenqing took them somewhere with a menu he would surely approve of and they spent the night eating and chatting.

It turned out Ye Xiu was in a good mood because they’d be able to wrap up training a day ahead of schedule. There had been a marked improvement in Excellent Era’s performance during practice recently, almost as if everyone had come to an agreement to work as hard as possible.

“They’re very motivated all of a sudden,” Ye Xiu said, gesturing with his chopsticks. “Maybe they’re just desperate to go on break for good.”

Han Wenqing shrugged. The members of Excellent Era avoided him like the plague; he had no idea what they were thinking. Perhaps the hints of tension between Ye Xiu and management were getting to them as well and they wanted to be far away from any contention. Perhaps they were just tired after a disappointing season and were putting in more effort now so they wouldn’t feel mentally burdened when they returned. Han Wenqing could conjure several explanations.

The impetus didn’t matter: something was going Ye Xiu’s way and Han Wenqing was pleased for him. Ye Xiu deserved some smooth sailing.

After leaving the restaurant, they dawdled for a bit and then returned to the club. Han Wenqing curled up with Ye Xiu in his shadowy dorm room and fell into a restful sleep.

The following morning was not nearly as peaceful.

First, they were only barely awake when someone knocked on Ye Xiu’s door to let him know that Tao Xuan wanted to speak with him in his office right away. (Han Wenqing did not bother to stay out of sight, and the way the hapless employee’s eyes bulged was a tiny bit concerning.)

Then Ye Xiu found out there weren’t any more tea drinks in the rec room’s vending machine. This was very distressing to him and he made no secret of it. Han Wenqing almost whipped out his phone and ordered an entire breakfast for him then and there.

And finally, Han Wenqing realized that was supposed to be an otherwise pleasant day was potentially about to be ruined by Ye Xiu’s boss. Of all people. It should have dawned on him sooner, but he had gotten maybe six hours of sleep and was living in denial.

Ye Xiu, who looked like he wanted nothing more than to go back to bed (Han Wenqing felt a twinge of guilt at how sore he must be), said, “You’re coming with me.”

“What?”

“You’re coming with me to see Tao Xuan.”

Han Wenqing stared at him. “Is that allowed?”

“It is now,” Ye Xiu said firmly, and ignored the rest of Han Wenqing’s feeble protests.

He didn’t really care, anyway. If Tao Xuan didn’t want Han Wenqing in his office while he spoke to Ye Xiu, he could just wait outside and look menacing. It wouldn’t be hard since he was in an increasingly menacing mood as the morning progressed.

Ye Xiu was not the only one who wanted to go back to bed.

But when they stepped into Tao Xuan’s office, Han Wenqing was not told to turn right back around. Instead, Tao Xuan said, “Good, I suppose it would be best to speak with you both.”

“Good morning,” Ye Xiu said, not sounding grumpy at all.

Han Wenqing echoed him (with less equanimity, but good enough) and Tao Xuan smiled at them both from where he sat behind his desk. He did not seem especially thrilled.

“I know you’re not much of a social media person, Ye Qiu, so I wanted to know if Captain Han has any idea of what I’m about to say.”

They both stared at him, Tao Xuan expectant and Ye Xiu confused, and Han Wenqing stared back. “No.”

Tao Xuan waited like he wanted Han Wenqing to elaborate, but one could not elaborate on something they knew nothing about. Han Wenqing hadn’t the slightest clue what Tao Xuan was getting at.

After a few more moments, Tao Xuan sighed and explained, “There are pictures of you two—from last night, I presume. They’re mainly circulating on Weibo and the Glory forums, from what we can tell. Social media is having a blast with it, and news outlets have caught on. We’ve already had reporters trying to schedule interviews. I also received a call from your boss, Captain Han.”

Silence. Then Ye Xiu, slowly and with great care, said, “Pictures? From last night?”

“Yes.” Tao Xuan narrowed his eyes.

Ye Xiu turned to stare at Han Wenqing again. Han Wenqing raised an eyebrow.

Tao Xuan sighed again. “Why don’t you both sit down and we can speak about this calmly.”

“Oh, no,” Ye Xiu demurred, “we wouldn’t want to trouble you. You must have other meetings to get to soon.”

“This is an emergency. I can make time.”

“An emergency?” Han Wenqing repeated. “How is it an emergency?”

“There are photos of you two together, apparently on a date or some nonsense, and you don’t consider it an emergency?” Tao Xuan sounded like he was trying not to yell.

“Well, we were on a date,” Ye Xiu said.

Tao Xuan froze. “What?”

Ye Xiu tilted his head at him. “We were on a date. If that’s what these photos imply, then they’re implying the truth. There’s no emergency.”

More silence. Tao Xuan seemed to be contemplating Ye Xiu’s words with much more concentration than warranted. Han Wenqing shifted his weight from one foot to another and glared.

Eventually, Tao Xuan returned to himself. His mouth flattened into a thin line as his gaze moved between Ye Xiu and Han Wenqing. “That can’t be it.”

“Hm?” was Ye Xiu’s bored response.

“You two aren’t dating. That’s ridiculous.”

Han Wenqing went from annoyed to offended in a nanosecond. “Excuse me?”

Ye Xiu scoffed and bumped his shoulder into Han Wenqing’s. “What’s ridiculous about it? Old Han is quite the catch!”

“No. No, you two are rivals.” Tao Xuan’s brow furrowed. “You’ve never even really liked each other. I’ve known you for a long time, Ye Qiu, you can’t spring this on me and expect me to believe it.”

“Bro, you’re misinformed. Han Wenqing and I have liked each other just fine for a number of years now. You don’t know me nearly as well as you think you do if you can’t tell that much.”

“Okay, let’s say you’re telling the truth. How long has this so-called relationship been…happening?”

Han Wenqing huffed. “Since the first season of the Professional Alliance.”

Tao Xuan’s mouth dropped open.

“You need to pay more attention,” Ye Xiu added idly.

“How—why have I never heard about this?”

“Because it’s private,” Han Wenqing said. “We weren’t trying to hide it, we just weren’t being obvious about it.”

“Then what do you call what you’ve been doing since you arrived here!” Tao Xuan suddenly exclaimed, rising to his feet. His desk chair rolled a short ways back before hitting the wall. “You’ve been practically flaunting this—this whatever-it-is in front of everybody! And in public!”

“Is there a reason why I can’t take my boyfriend out on a date?” Han Wenqing demanded crossly.

Tao Xuan pointed a shaking finger at him. “You—you—”

“Yes?” Han Wenqing stared Tao Xuan down. Beside him, Ye Xiu was twitching in that subtle way he did when he was trying very hard not to laugh.

“I can’t believe this. I just can’t believe this.” Tao Xuan rounded on Ye Xiu. The force of his glare almost had Han Wenqing convinced he was going to leap over his desk at any moment and tackle Ye Xiu to the floor. “You’re fucking with me, aren’t you.”

“No way.” Ye Xiu raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, smiling broadly. “I’m really in a committed relationship with Han Wenqing. He came over here to spend more time with me before we take off on vacation together. And we really did go on a date last night. But we didn’t do anything crazy! We wore masks the entire time we were outside, so surely the reporters will only have respectable things to say about us.”

“I still don’t believe you.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Han Wenqing growled and, before he could question the wisdom of his actions, pulled Ye Xiu into his arms. The startled noise Ye Xiu made was quickly muffled by Han Wenqing’s lips.

The kiss didn’t last long, but it didn’t need to. In fact, it was all the more passionate for its brevity, given how much frustration this whole conversation had elicited. Han Wenqing was sure that Tao Xuan couldn’t deny their sincerity after witnessing it.

When they parted and glanced at Tao Xuan to gauge his reaction, they were met with wide, blank eyes and a frozen expression. It was not the face of a man who had anything more to say.

Han Wenqing took Ye Xiu’s hand and growled, “If my boss calls again, tell him to message me directly.” He turned, tugging Ye Xiu out of the office. “That coward.”

Tao Xuan did not try to stop them from leaving, and Ye Xiu did not hesitate to follow Han Wenqing. The grip of his hand was tight and warm and maybe a little desperate.

Han Wenqing refused to let go of him even once as they made their way back to the dorms, no matter how many gawkers they passed in the halls.

* * *

“What’s on your mind, Ye Xiu?”

Han Wenqing had taken a seat on the bed, but Ye Xiu opted for the desk chair. He was facing the window with a blank expression, rubbing his chin with one hand.

“Ye Xiu.”

Abruptly, their eyes met, but Ye Xiu’s gaze slanted away before Han Wenqing could look for too long.

“Ye Xiu…”

“Was this your motive all along?” he asked finally.

“What?”

“Exposing us.”

Han Wenqing shook his head. “Not really. I wanted to be here for you, that’s all.”

“Really?”

“It wasn’t as if you minded,” Han Wenqing said with a raised eyebrow. “You even played along.”

Ye Xiu scoffed. “Because nobody would believe it anyway. Even Tao Xuan might not be completely convinced, and we sure put on quite a show for him.”

“A show?” Han Wenqing repeated quietly. “I wasn’t performing.”

It was hard to talk around the sudden tension in the room, but Ye Xiu managed it anyway. “I know you weren’t. I mean…this isn’t what I thought you wanted.”

“I’m not afraid of people knowing,” Han Wenqing said. “I never expected to keep it a secret forever. I just respected your wishes.”

Ye Xiu chuckled. “You play along so I can keep my identity hidden, and I play along when you want to…be here for me. Whatever that means. Haven’t we basically just played ourselves?”

“We haven’t. Your identity isn’t compromised; Tao Xuan would have had a lot more to say back there if it was. And you told him yourself: we wore masks. We were careful.” Han Wenqing shrugged. “We just got a little unlucky last night.”

“Unlucky? More like careless. We spend a few days being as unsubtle as possible within the confines of this building, and next thing you know, we get caught going on a date. It was a dumb thing to do.”

Okay, now he was being dramatic. “Ye Xiu, do you really think nobody knows about us besides Su Mucheng and our exes? Do you think I’ve put up a front with all our friends? When they ask who I’m spending my summer with, who I’m taking to my bed, I always tell them it’s you. I’ve never lied about us, not even once.”

Han Wenqing wanted to get up and grab Ye Xiu by the shoulders and yell in his face, I love you. I’ve never cared what anyone else has to say about it. I love you so goddamn much. But it wasn’t anything Ye Xiu didn’t already know. It wasn’t anything he’d ever needed to say. For years now, they had been each other’s endgame.

But Ye Xiu… Ye Xiu just didn’t understand that, sometimes, you could have your cake and eat it, too. They could love each other in the open, support each other publicly, tell reporters all about the twists and turns of their relationship—and it wouldn’t have to cost anything. Ye Xiu could remain anonymous. They could continue being rivals onstage. They could keep competing until somebody stopped them or their hands faltered—whichever came first.

There didn’t have to be sacrifice. If Han Wenqing wanted to show up at Excellent Era and hold Ye Xiu’s hand, why should he have to pay a price first? Why should he have to answer to Liu Hao’s petty threats or Tao Xuan’s scolding?

Nothing in this world could stop him from standing at Ye Xiu’s side when he was needed. Nothing could convince him that it wasn’t worth it to be right where he was. Han Wenqing did not weigh their relationship in terms of cost and benefit.

After taking a deep breath, Han Wenqing said, “I’d never ask you to give up anything for me, because there’s no part of you that I don’t want. So don’t ask me to pretend we’re nothing, like I don’t give a shit what happens to you. That’s where I draw the line.”

The quiet stretched between them. Ye Xiu blinked, swallowed, and gazed down at the floor for a long time before he finally spoke. “Do you know what you’re saying?”

“Yes.”

Hesitantly, Ye Xiu’s eyes rose to meet his. “You’re inviting yourself into all of my problems, Old Han. You’re literally borrowing trouble.”

“Yes.”

“Nothing good can come out of acknowledging your ties to me. Absolutely nothing. It’s not about our reputations, it’s about whatever’s happening to Excellent Era and how badly that’s going to impact my career. And if it impacts my career, it might impact yours, too.”

“I know.”

“Then what the hell are you thinking!” Ye Xiu snapped.

Han Wenqing narrowed his eyes. “I’m thinking that this isn’t the end of the world. We’ll have to be sneakier on our dates, but nothing has changed. It’s just that now everyone knows the truth. And they might come at both of us to try and take you down—but that just gives me more reason to retaliate.”

“Oh my god, Old Han. Don’t tell me you showed up here just to stand up for me.”

“Of course I did. What else was I supposed to do, watch you get bullied?” Han Wenqing, insulted, pointed a finger at Ye Xiu. “You have a problem with me watching out for you?”

Ye Xiu, leaning forward in his chair, searched his expression intently. His gaze was so focused it was almost intimidating. Han Wenqing had no idea what he was looking for.

But eventually, Ye Xiu whispered, “I never said I have a problem with it. In fact, I might become rather fond of you watching out for me.”

Oh.

Han Wenqing began to smile. “Fonder than you are of my other features?”

“I’ll have to run a few tests before I can say for sure.”

Ye Xiu all but launched himself at Han Wenqing, knocking him down onto the bed. It gave him deja vu. Han Wenqing wasn’t sure what it was about this room that made Ye Xiu so aggressive, but he wasn’t complaining.

Their clothes came off in record time, hands moving frantically when they were lip-locked and even more so when they weren’t. They were desperate for contact and neither of them could deny it. They didn’t even try to.

But then, once they were naked and pressed up against each other, they calmed. Han Wenqing ran a soothing hand down Ye Xiu’s spine as Ye Xiu stretched atop him. Ye Xiu traced his jaw and mouth with delicate fingertips. They couldn’t stop touching and looking and feeling, and it didn’t matter how badly he wanted Ye Xiu, Han Wenqing couldn’t bear to cut the moment short.

Ye Xiu smiled softly down at him. “I love you. You know that, right?”

“Of course I do.” Han Wenqing cupped his cheek.

“I love you,” Ye Xiu repeated, “and I don’t care who knows. I just wish everything could be easier than it is.”

“Ye Xiu,” Han Wenqing said slowly, leaning into his touch, “if I wanted easy, I wouldn’t be here.”

With a laugh, Ye Xiu took his lips in a sweet, passionate kiss, licking his way into Han Wenqing’s mouth. Han Wenqing tilted his head for a better angle and let his eyes slide shut.

When Ye Xiu eventually broke away, they were both breathing hard. Ye Xiu seemed to think for a moment before drawing back, sitting up, and moving off his body. “Get the lube.”

Han Wenqing didn’t dawdle; he knew where Ye Xiu stashed everything at this point, including his toys. When he settled back onto the mattress, Ye Xiu promptly straddled him.

With a tender kiss to his cheek, Ye Xiu murmured, “Open me up.”

Like he was on autopilot, Han Wenqing squeezed some lube onto his fingers and let it warm for a bit before reaching around Ye Xiu’s body. In the meanwhile, Ye Xiu snatched a thick pillow from the head of the bed and stuffed it behind Han Wenqing’s back so he could lean against the wall comfortably.

Han Wenqing circled Ye Xiu’s hole, slicking his skin with lube, then pushed two fingers directly inside. It had been almost a full day since they fucked in the training room, but it didn’t seem to matter.

Ye Xiu made a pleased sound and mouthed along Han Wenqing’s jaw hungrily. “I did a little prep work last night. You don’t have to be careful.”

He what? “When?”

“While you were asleep,” Ye Xiu said. “I woke up kind of horny, but I wanted to let you rest. So I fingered myself and figured I’d ride you in the morning.”

Well, that explained it. “It’s morning now,” Han Wenqing said.

“Yes, and despite the delay, my hard work paid off, wouldn’t you agree?” Ye Xiu teased.

Without warning, Han Wenqing pressed in a third finger. “I would.”

“Ah, that feels good…” Ye Xiu wriggled his ass.

“Stay still,” Han Wenqing told him, then briefly withdraw to get more lube. It didn’t matter how thoroughly Ye Xiu prepped last night, Han Wenqing was going to have him wet and loose and begging.

“Mmm,” Ye Xiu said when Han Wenqing replaced his fingers. He held onto Han Wenqing’s shoulders to steady himself. “Someday you’re gonna put your whole fist inside me, and I’m going to be grateful for every second of it.”

“Oh? Is that something you’d like?”

Ye Xiu nodded eagerly. “I could buy more toys, make it easier for you. You could fuck me before and after… Do you think you’d like it when I’m not as tight?”

“I’d definitely like it.” Han Wenqing nipped his chin. “It’s you.”

“Ah, fuck.” Ye Xiu panted into his neck. “Just fuck me already.”

Han Wenqing tried an additional finger, just to test the give of Ye Xiu’s walls.

“Please, Wenqing.”

 After applying enough pressure, the fourth finger fit inside as well. “Did you use a dildo or something?” Han Wenqing asked, surprised.

“Just my hands and some lube.” Ye Xiu grip tightened on his shoulders.

Han Wenqing’s fingers curled and pressed down on Ye Xiu’s prostate insistently. Ye Xiu jerked in his lap with a shuddering gasp.

“You’re such a slut for this,” Han Wenqing said admiringly.

Ye Xiu grinned at him, flushed and breathless and so unspeakably fuckable. “Yeah, I am.”

He couldn’t wait anymore, and Ye Xiu was well past ready. Han Wenqing once again pulled his fingers out and proceeded to drench his cock in lube, giving it a few teasing strokes.

He had intended to guide his cock inside Ye Xiu himself, but Ye Xiu neatly moved into position, and when the head of Han Wenqing’s cock caught his rim, he sank into Han Wenqing’s lap.

Han Wenqing let his head thump back against the wall as his cock was engulfed in searing warmth and slickness. Ye Xiu’s walls rippled around him while he searched for the best angle, and his damned wriggling was almost too much to handle.

“Just hold onto me and let me ride you, okay?” Ye Xiu whispered hotly in his ear.

He began rolling his hips before Han Wenqing could respond. That was fine. Han Wenqing couldn’t have denied him even if he wanted to.

Ye Xiu’s pace was patient at first, as if he were trying to commit the moment to memory, reveling in the pleasure of it. Han Wenqing touched him everywhere he could; he ran his hands down his sides and over his nipples and along the sharp wings of his collarbones. He squeezed his hips and ass and thighs and fondled his leaking cock, brushing drops of precum off the tip so he could taste. He weighed Ye Xiu’s balls in his palms and traced fingertips along the reddened stretch of skin where they were joined.

Before long, Ye Xiu stopped holding back and started getting greedy, and Han Wenqing only spurred him on with upward thrusts to match Ye Xiu’s increasingly forceful movements. The two of them edged closer to orgasm with every passing second.

He wanted to tip them over.

And tip over they did, suddenly and explosively. Ye Xiu came first, throwing his head back with a long, throaty groan, only to slump forward into Han Wenqing, who didn’t stop thrusting until he was coming, too. He clutched Ye Xiu closer as he emptied his seed into Ye Xiu’s trembling body.

They fell over onto their sides, Ye Xiu’s legs still caging his hips and his cock still clasped within him. Han Wenqing nuzzled Ye Xiu’s face, then gently pulled out of him with a wet noise.

“No,” Ye Xiu complained, the first coherent word he’d said in a while. In the pursuit of pleasure, focused only on riding Han Wenqing, he hadn’t exactly been chatty. Han Wenqing normally had to gag him or fuck him very, very hard to get him that quiet.

“No what?” Han Wenqing asked, amused.

“Get me my dildo,” he murmured, “and put it in.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes, seriously. Would I joke about my dildo?”

Han Wenqing did as he was asked, grabbing Ye Xiu’s dildo (which was almost alarmingly large) from his hidden box of toys. He made Ye Xiu spread his legs and gently inserted it inside Ye Xiu’s puffy hole. There was no need to bother with lube; Ye Xiu was so wet and open that something even bigger would have fit with little trouble.

When Ye Xiu was filled again, he let out a satisfied sigh and settled more comfortably on the bed. “Now come here and cuddle me.”

Bemused, Han Wenqing stretched out beside him and took him into his arms. “You’re so bossy today.”

“Got a problem with me bossing you around, Old Han?” Ye Xiu grumbled with slitted eyes.

Han Wenqing kissed the tip of his noise. “No, boss me around whenever you like.”

“Mm.” Ye Xiu closed his eyes. “Good. Let me know when you’re ready for round two.”

“…Where is this enthusiasm coming from?” Because Ye Xiu wasn’t unenthusiastic about sex, but Han Wenqing couldn’t recall him being so…horny and needy and hungry in recent memory.

“Hell if I know. Maybe you should be all sweet and protective more often. That must have done it for me.”

Han Wenqing stilled, then laughed a little into Ye Xiu’s hair. “Confrontations do it for you?”

“Don’t tease, they clearly do it for you, too. Or have you forgotten what happened yesterday morning?”

Touché. “Something to keep in mind when we need to spice up our sex life.”

“For sure,” Ye Xiu agreed lazily, and didn’t speak again until Han Wenqing pushed his hardening cock up against him.

* * *

Their plane tickets had already been purchased a while ago, which meant the day of their departure was set even if Ye Xiu had wrapped up the training schedule early. Han Wenqing offered to get them a hotel room for a day and night—something ridiculously fancy that they wouldn’t have to feel too bad about splurging on since it would only be a short stay—but Ye Xiu said they might as well stick around until it was time to leave.

Su Mucheng accompanied them for a good portion of the day, but they kept to themselves for most of it. They strongly suspected there were reporters waiting in the street ready to jump them at the first sign of Han Wenqing’s presence, so they had no choice but to stay inside.

Ye Xiu still didn’t raise any objections to Han Wenqing’s “anti-bullying strategy,” as he’s chosen to call it, so they held hands and walked close together whenever they left the dorm. He noticed Cui Li, Chen Yehui, and a couple of other unfamiliar faces watching them with faint distress; generally, though, reactions varied from perplexed to downright spooked.

Tao Xuan had apparently left on a last-minute business trip. Han Wenqing tried and failed not to be amused by that.

Nobody bothered them. Nobody even approached Ye Xiu when Han Wenqing was around, other than Su Mucheng. Excellent Era’s members greeted them politely in the hallways and in the rec room and in the cafeteria, but interaction was kept at a minimum.

Then, it was the morning of their departure. They had spent the previous night packing and decided to have breakfast at the airport to save time, so there wasn’t anything to do but…go.

When they left the dorm room, however, they were met with the faces of Team Excellent Era. Su Mucheng, He Ming, Zhang Jiaxing…even Liu Hao was there.

Ye Xiu blinked at them. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, Captain,” Shen Jian greeted. “And Captain Han.”

Han Wenqing nodded at them.

“Is something the matter…?” Ye Xiu asked, reading the awkward atmosphere.

He Ming shook his head quickly. “We just wanted to say goodbye.”

“Oh.” Ye Xiu raised an eyebrow at Su Mucheng.

Han Wenqing fixed his gaze on Liu Hao. His wore a neutral expression, but the tightness around his eyes and mouth hinted at his displeasure. Liu Hao probably hadn’t set this up, whatever it was.

“That’s nice of you all,” Ye Xiu said, smiling. “You’ve done a good job in training. I look forward to seeing you back here in August.”

“Thank you, Captain.”

“I know it’s been a rough season, but with enough hard work, we can make our way back up to where we were before. Don’t lose hope, everyone,” Ye Xiu told them. “I wish you all a pleasant summer.”

After the necessary exchange of platitudes and polite words of encouragement, the rest of Excellent Era backed off and bid them goodbye. Su Mucheng walked alongside them to the elevators, grinning broadly.

“What the hell was that?” Ye Xiu asked as the elevator doors closed.

“That,” Su Mucheng said with relish, “was the unintended outcome of Liu Hao’s scheming.”

“What?” Han Wenqing snorted. “Liu Hao was responsible for that?”

“He told everyone on the team that you were together, they were all in a state of denial, but then those pictures were published and they felt…troubled? Or something. And there was a lot of chatter about it in the group chat, not that either of you bothered to check—though you should, because it’s hilarious.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Ye Xiu asked, confused.

“Way too many people came up with way too many theories about why you’d never publicly admitted you were together, so our teammates were guilted into expressing their support for your beautiful relationship. Oh, and I was told to pass along a message!”

“Okay,” Han Wenqing said cautiously.

Su Mucheng cleared her throat and said, “’If you’re not confirming the rumors out of professional concern, don’t worry! We’ll support you.’”

They stared at Su Mucheng, speechless. Though she was the picture of solemnity, her eyes positively twinkled with mirth.

“Is that all?” Ye Xiu eventually said.

“Yep!”

Ye Xiu looked at Han Wenqing. Han Wenqing looked back.

“Nobody will ever mind their own business again, will they?” Ye Xiu sounded exhausted already.

“Doubt it,” Han Wenqing replied in the same tired tone.

Su Mucheng just laughed at them.

Ye Xiu contemplated his fate until the elevator stopped. When they stepped out into the lobby, luggage in hand, he bumped his shoulder against Han Wenqing’s and said, “Well, it could be worse.”

“How so?”

“We could be Yu Wenzhou and Huang Shaotian.”

“…I’m feeling better already.”