#and i know it had to be lu guang to pull him out but just....
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I have to point this out because. It really has been a good while since I've seen or read an antagonist without....despising them? I think lately I've just been indulging in a lot of media that has villains who are framed as abusers/bullies, and that's literally the only thing going for them - they exist to cause trouble to the protagonists and annoy the readers into wanting them gone.
I don't know if I'm just too deep into Link Click but its antagonists all feel....really different in some way? I mean, Liu Min felt like your standard "abuser/bully" antagonist who was actually losing it. Qian Jing feels like your typical rich jerk except he's given a tragic backstory without it really taking away that he's just a rich jerk. But Li Tianxi....she's somehow both seriously creepy and mysterious yet human and relatable. You feel burning rage and frustration over her but also confusion and sympathy. She's absolutely off her rocker but so cold and calculating. She was a little girl with sensory overload issues in an abusive household. She's a teenager(?) with a soft voice and cold, cold heart.
For some reason, it doesn't feel like she exists solely to cause trouble for the protagonists - none of the villains really do. She exists and it causes trouble for our protagonists because they happen to have mysterious abilities they used to try and pay a debt, which somehow led them to another person with mysterious abilities (like attracts like, I guess). Sure, our boys may have been an integral part of Li Tianxi's still-unknown-as-of-yet plan...but whatever her goal is, it genuinely feels as if that exists for herself rather than simply to inconvenience and severely traumatise the MCs.
#also#lu guang and qiao ling both running to save cheng xiaoshi at the end.....#....like they both found him so quickly#and i know it had to be lu guang to pull him out but just....#cheng xiaoshi having a family in these two is always gonna be so personal to me#and the fact that they both found him right on time is like.....AUGH#but yeah villains and li tianxi being sooooo interesting to watch because she is literally so unpredictable#like it feels like shes a pawn but also that shes the chessmaster does that make any sense?#link click#link click spoilers#fandom spamdom#stuff i say
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i was watching the shorts of Link Click and felt like even more fluff was needed bc genuinely, what the fuck was that ending- i was not prepared /lh
anyway, Lu Guang uses eyedrops when he overextends his ability so i wrote shiguang based off it ''-.w-. {bc lu honestly did not look very good at using them}
now with an extension -> Assurance
{written as a script for fluidity sake}
{It's late. Lu Guang has been sitting at his and Cheng Xiaoshi's shared desk while poring over photos for a while now}
{At first, Cheng Xiaoshi had been content to play games on his phone. It's not like Lu Guang exactly needed him for this part anyway. He was satisfied lounging in the same room}
{Although... as time trudged deeper into the night, Cheng Xiaoshi couldn't help but grow more and more concerned as Lu Guang kept rubbing over his eyes; the sound of which was growing grotesquely even crunchier the more he did it}
{…eyes should not sound crunchy}
Cheng Xiaoshi, sitting up slowly: Lu Guang?
{Lu Guang pauses from looking into another photo; but he doesn't turn around}
Lu Guang, rubbing his eyes again: Hm?
Cheng Xiaoshi: Are you doing ok? You've been looking through photos for a while now...
{There's a damning pause, prolonged by a sticky blink and a sigh of discomfort from Lu Guang. It goes on just long enough for Cheng Xiaoshi to stand up and hover over Lu Guang's shoulder}
Cheng Xiaoshi, leaning forward: Lu-?
Lu Guang, picking up the photo again: I'm fine. There's only a few more to get through; so I'll be done soon.
{Cheng Xiaoshi scowls, unfortunately used to his friend's bad habits. He catches Lu Guang's shoulder before he can look into the photo}
Cheng Xiaoshi: Lu Guang, the last time you did this your eyes hurt for days, remember? …although, that's probably because you suck at putting your eye drops in
{Lu Guang averts his gaze with a huff at the accusatory tone and Cheng Xiaoshi takes the opportunity to pinch his cheek. Purely to keep his attention, of course. Not because of how soft they were.}
{…definitely not.}
{Cheng Xiaoshi sighs in exasperation, letting go of Lu Guang's cheek as he starts to bat away his hand; instead, he catches the slim fingers to pull him away from the desk}
Cheng Xiaoshi, kicking softly at his ankle: Come on, up you go
{Lu Guang accepts the defeat for what it is and follows his friend with a resigned sigh, blinking in confusion when he bypasses their beds. Cheng Xiaoshi leads him into the bathroom}
Cheng Xiaoshi, picking up a small bottle: Now I know you're too tired to keep going... you didn't even fight me..
{He holds the bottle out, still gently holding Lu Guang's fingers, and waves it a few times to signal his friend to take the eyedrops}
{Lu Guang doesn't reach out right away, glancing subtly at the hand in Cheng Xiaoshi's and then to the bottle. He blinks stickily again and his vision blurs. Reluctantly, Lu Guang starts to pull his hand back}
{Before he can, however, Cheng Xiaoshi tugs Lu Guang close. With only a little bit of gentle maneuvering, Lu Guang is caged between his friend and their sink}
{Cheng Xiaoshi's fingers trail up Lu Guang's cheek almost reverently and Lu Guang's ears burn. The blush creeps it's way over both their cheeks, bated breaths fanning over faces just close enough that a single shift forward would-}
Lu Guang, exhaling shakily: Cheng Xiaoshi...?
Cheng Xiaoshi, tilting Lu Guang's head back: On second thought, I don't really trust that you won't poke your eye out in this state... I'll do it for you
{Lu Guang holds his breath, disappointment thick in his throat as he lets his friend administer the eye drops. On instinct, he wants to blink away the intrusion but Cheng Xiaoshi carefully holds his eyes shut with his thumbs; his rough fingers resting on either side of Lu Guang's jaw. Gently, Cheng Xiaoshi shifts his thumbs to the corners of Lu Guang's eyelids, near his nose}
Cheng Xiaoshi, teasingly admonishing: Ah-! This is why your eyedrops never work, Lu. You can't just immediately blink them out
Lu Guang, slowly opening his eyes: …right
{Lu Guang's eyes already felt leagues better, but Cheng Xiaoshi keeps holding his face like spun glass. One of his thumbs swipes some lingering wetness away from a sleep bruised under eye}
{Pale hands rest subconsciously on Cheng Xiaoshi's chest as he tilts Lu Guang's head back again. Their noses brush}
Cheng Xiaoshi, voice soft: Do you feel better, Lu Guang..?
{Lu Guang attempts to look down at the floor tiles but his friend's warm hands keep his eyes locked on Cheng Xiaoshi's}
Lu Guang, swallowing: …yeah
Cheng Xiaoshi, smiling in relief: That's good.
{Cheng Xiaoshi's hand slips from Lu Guang's jaw to his chin and nape to hold his face steady. The relieved smile soon follows as his lips press instead to his friend's(?) eyes. First the right, then the left, before he's resting his forehead against Lu Guang's}
Lu Guang, flustered: What.. was that for?
Cheng Xiaoshi, quietly: ...I hate when you do this to yourself, Lu
{Lu Guang, with his lower back still pressed to their sink, stills. He can feel Cheng Xiaoshi's languid heart from where his hands are still, embarrassingly, resting}
Lu Guang: I-
Cheng Xiaoshi, softly interrupting: We can talk about this in the morning
{His hands leave Lu Guang's face to wrap around his shoulders instead, pulling him into as warm a hug as he can possibly manage. Cheng Xiaoshi can feel Lu Guang's hands slip under his jacket to hug back a few moments later}
#link click#link click fanfic#scriptwriting#lu guang#cheng xiaoshi#lu guang x cheng xiaoshi#cheng xiaoshi x lu guang#shiguang#shiguang daili ren#shi guang dai li ren#sgdlr
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too short for ao3 but lu guang vs dramatic irony, for me, as a treat. s2 spoilers!
After Cheng Xiaoshi ate most of the congratulations-you’re-finally-free-of-the-hospital cake and Qiao Ling had abandoned them both to run errands, he managed to finally coax Lu Guang to come sit on the couch with him. Cheng Xiaoshi tipped onto his back, his legs dangling over the side and his head butting up against Lu Guang’s thigh. Even from this angle, he still looked drawn and serious, the way he had the entire afternoon.
“Hey, Lu Guang.”
Lu Guang just looked down at him, raising an eyebrow. Cheng Xiaoshi had missed him so much for the past month. They’d been in the same hospital, but there were always nurses and doctors and cops coming and going. There was no time to really talk about everything that had happened. Cheng Xiaoshi spent the whole time sure of what he wanted to say when he finally had the chance, and now he was here and he didn’t know where to start.
That was a lie. He knew exactly where to start, so fine, he’d do it. He said, “There’s something I need to tell you.”
“Okay.” Lu Guang was steady as always. Calm, and firm, and here. Cheng Xiaoshi had thought about it a lot in the hospital: coming back to the shop and Lu Guang being gone, forever. Never hearing his solemn voice, never being scolded, never pulling those small secret smiles out of him ever again. Knowing he’d had it once and then let it slip out of his grasp. Knowing he could reach out and take it back.
Cheng Xiaoshi stretched a hand out and laid his fingers lightly over Lu Guang’s side, the place where Li Tianchen had stabbed him. Now it was just a scar, a story from the past, like a photograph. He said, “I wanted to fix it.”
Lu Guang just stared down at him blankly, like he didn’t understand, so Cheng Xiaoshi kept going: “I thought you were dead. I really, really thought you were dead, and I wanted you back, Lu Guang, I looked at the photo and I knew exactly what to do—it wouldn’t even be hard! I wouldn’t have had you in my ear telling me I couldn’t. How was I supposed to stop myself if you weren’t there? You’re supposed to stop me from doing something stupid, Lu Guang, that’s the whole point!”
He could see it in Lu Guang’s face, the way his eyes went wide and his nostrils flared: he understood now. He said, “But you didn’t.”
Lu Guang was still as stone above him. Usually when he was pissed at Cheng Xiaoshi he nearly vibrated with it. This was different, like he was holding himself back.
“You weren’t really dead.” Cheng Xiaoshi flattened his palm to Lu Guang’s ribs. Lu Guang’s eyes were fixed on his hand, where Cheng Xiaoshi could feel the movement of him breathing a little too fast. “I knew you wouldn’t want me to. I knew it wasn’t right. But if you were really gone, who knows what I would have done?” He tightened his fingers over Lu Guang’s shirt. “So don’t do that again, Lu Guang. Don’t make me stop myself. I don’t like it. I suck at it.”
He started to sit up, but Lu Guang put a hand to his chest and kept him pressed down against the couch. His voice was rough when he said, “Stop talking.”
Cheng Xiaoshi opened his mouth, because that had never once worked on him, and Lu Guang wrapped a hand in his hair and bent down to kiss him quiet.
The angle was bad, and the shocked noise Cheng Xiaoshi made was not cute or dignified. Lu Guang didn’t seem to care. His grip was tight against the back of Cheng Xiaoshi’s skull, cradling him almost violently, and his nails were digging into his chest. It hurt a little; Cheng Xiaoshi didn’t hate it.
Lu Guang’s face was still so serious when he let him go. Cheng Xiaoshi reached up, pushing at his furrowed brow with one finger.
“Wow,” he said. He could feel himself smiling. “So all I had to do was admit to wanting to break the laws of the universe for you? I thought you would at least call me an idiot.”
Lu Guang said, “Stop talking.” Cheng Xiaoshi laughed, and let Lu Guang make him.
#link click#lu guang....................................................#feeling very normal.#shiguang
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let me do this for you
"Lu Guang’s limbs feel heavy as he climbs the stairs, every changed minute weighing down his body as he goes to check on Cheng Xiaoshi. He wishes he could do today over again. He doesn’t know if he’d have the strength to do today over again."
Lu Guang experiences Cheng Xiaoshi being sick for the first time. Twice.
My long-awaited Link Click fic is finally here!! I have been so excited to post this for MONTHS because it's genuinely one of my favorite things I've written. I love Link Click for letting me write just about anything with a layer of agony over it because Lu Guang is in a permanent state of anxious paranoia about messing up the timeline. It means even the funny bits include angst :)
So this baby's got it all! Sickfic shenanigans, big sister Qiao Ling, whiny Cheng Xiaoshi, Lu Guang feeling like he's mourning every time he looks at Cheng Xiaoshi's face, soup..... What more could you ask for?
(Spoilers for season 2. Content warning for vomiting. 12k words. Ignore the fact that I completely messed up the layout of the studio and then didn't want to change it. The living room and their made-up kitchen are on their own separate floor, because I said so.) (ao3 link)
---
Dingdingding. Dingdingding. Dingdingding.
Lu Guang cracks his eyes open and feels around next to his pillow for his phone, thumbing at the screen to turn off his morning alarm. Early morning sunlight is already filtering in through the window, so Lu Guang relents that it’s time to start the day. He pulls himself down the ladder, ignoring the groans from Cheng Xiaoshi coming from the bottom bunk as his own phone begins to buzz. Lu Guang silently descends the stairs, allowing Cheng Xiaoshi his customary extra few minutes of sleep while Lu Guang prepares tea and a simple breakfast for the two of them.
After living together for almost a year, Lu Guang enjoys the comfort he finds in this familiar morning routine. He sets the breakfast on the table and sets to eating his own, waiting for his roommate.
But Cheng Xiaoshi never comes down. Lu Guang waits patiently, knowing that Cheng Xiaoshi is a sloth and some days he takes longer to rouse himself than others. But after watching the time tick by on his watch for 21 minutes, he can no longer idly wait. Lu Guang climbs the stairs, ready to bang his fist on the doorframe to wake his roommate up, when Cheng Xiaoshi flies past him, almost knocking Lu Guang over, and runs straight for the bathroom.
Lu Guang waits outside the bathroom door impatiently. “Hurry up or we’re going to be late—”
And that’s when Cheng Xiaoshi starts retching.
The morning does not get more pleasant after that. As it turns out, the only thing more annoying that an overly chipper, healthy Cheng Xiaoshi is a sick one.
---
“Was it something you ate?” Lu Guang asks Cheng Xiaoshi reproachfully. The first round of puking had only lasted a few minutes, but before Lu Guang even had a chance to speak to Cheng Xiaoshi properly, he was back in the bathroom, coughing and moaning as he continued expelling everything he had in his stomach.
Cheng Xiaoshi is on the couch in the living room now, looking a little green and definitely not in the mood for answering questions. The quilt from his bed is wrapped around his body, coming up over head to look like a hood.
“How should I know? It’s not like the answer was written at the bottom of the toilet bowl.”
Lu Guang sighs. “We ate the same meals yesterday. I was just wondering if your food felt off in any way.”
“If it felt off, I wouldn’t have eaten it!”
This is debatable. Lu Guang has seen Cheng Xiaoshi eat plenty of things in the name of “not letting it go to waste” that seemed questionable. While this situation is an appropriate time to mention that fact, Lu Guang refrains.
“Okay, well maybe you have a virus, then.”
Cheng Xiaoshi holds a hand to his stomach pathetically. “Can you cure me, Lu Guang?”
“No, but I can go downstairs to open the studio alone while you stay up here and keep your puke away from the customers.”
This is apparently the wrong response, because Cheng Xiaoshi’s eyes widen like he was just told that Lu Guang is moving out of the country today.
“You’re leaving me?” he cries. “In my hour of need, you’re going to abandon me?”
Lu Guang rolls his eyes. “I’m going to be directly underneath you, idiot. Just call me if you need something. Someone has to pay rent this month.”
“Do you think Qiao Ling would come take care of me?”
“Qiao Ling has her own priorities besides dealing with your whining. Go lay back down; I’ll check on you in a few hours.”
Lu Guang leaves silently. He wasn’t wrong; they really did need to open the studio today. There were customers scheduled to pick up their prints this morning. He makes sure to take his phone off silent mode as he works, in case Cheng Xiaoshi calls for something, but he never does. Lu Guang finds himself staring nervously at his phone throughout the morning. Is Cheng Xiaoshi still throwing up? Has he made it to the toilet every time, or is he defacing every surface of their apartment in revenge? Does he need something? Why hasn’t he called?
By lunch time, Lu Guang can’t stand it. He locks up the studio and goes upstairs to check on his roommate. His worries melt away when he sees Cheng Xiaoshi in the exact same position he was left in, strewn across the couch with a plastic-lined wastepaper basket on the floor beside him, groaning pathetically.
“Lu Guaaaaaang….” Cheng Xiaoshi moans, long and desperate. “Everything huuuurts.”
Lu Guang tries a gentle approach. “Could you be more specific? Is it your stomach? Does your body ache? Are you feverish?”
Cheng Xiaoshi pulls the quilt higher, tucking it under his chin. “I’m not gonna make it. Call Qiao Ling. Tell her to come quickly so I can update my will.”
Lu Guang sighs. “You’re not dying, idiot. You probably have a virus. Or it was something you ate. Now could you tell me the rest of your symptoms?”
Cheng Xiaoshi ignores his questions yet again, cracking his eyes open slowly, like it’s taking him a great amount of effort to do so. “Have you called Qiao Ling? Does she know I’m ill?”
“I could help you get better if you’d just tell me what’s wrong,” Lu Guang says crossly. The quilt is pulled up so high he can barely see Cheng Xiaoshi under the blanket. Does he have a fever? Does he need medication? He debates leaning forward to feel his forehead but doesn’t know a way to pull it off without it seeming strange. He refrains. “I know your stomach is upset, but what else—”
Cheng Xiaoshi rolls over flippantly. “Tell me when Qiao Ling gets here. I’ll only speak to her. I’m taking you out of my will.”
Lu Guang looks to the ceiling, balling his hands into fists and breathing slowly. After a few slow exhales he calmly tells Cheng Xiaoshi that he should try eating something small to settle his stomach. He goes to their pantry and prepares a small dish full of plain wonton strips and a glass of cool water.
“I have to go back to work. Please try to eat something,” Lu Guang says evenly. He ignores the cries of “Qiao Lingggggggg!” echoing through the apartment as he leaves.
Lu Guang returns to the front counter, pulling out several canisters of film that still needed to be developed for customers later this week. Thankfully, they don’t have any new clients from Qiao Ling. Lu Guang isn’t entirely sure how their powers would work if Cheng Xiaoshi was sick during a dive. His physiology tends to get transferred to the person in the past he possesses. Would their client start puking uncontrollably mid-dive? Lu Guang dreads the thought.
No, this is better. Let Cheng Xiaoshi sleep if off while Lu Guang tends to the studio. Cheng Xiaoshi will have to dip into his meager savings to pay for his half of the rest this month if he doesn’t come back to work in the next few days, but that can’t be helped. If he’s lucky, Qiao Ling will be merciful on him.
Lu Guang stares at the canisters on the counter before him. The studio is blessedly quiet without Cheng Xiaoshi’s usual chittering and loud pop music playing through the speakers of his phone. Lu Guang should be reveling in the silence, but he does feel marginally bad for leaving Cheng Xiaoshi by himself upstairs, no matter how irritating his dramatics are.
Lu Guang picks up his cell phone and dials Qiao Ling’s number.
---
Qiao Ling arrives around closing time, a paper bag full of groceries on her hip as she opens the front door to the Time Photo Studio, the pre-recorded greeting ringing through the silence.
“Is he in bed?” Qiao Ling asks, before remembering her manners and greeting Lu Guang properly.
Lu Guang waves away formalities. “He’s on the couch. He keeps calling for you,” he tells her, his normal deadpan tone giving way to the smallest hint of annoyance.
Qiao Ling rolls her eyes, but fondly, and hurries up the stairs. Lu Guang flips the sign on the door to ‘Closed’ and follows her up to the apartment.
“Where’s my patient?” Qiao Ling calls in a sing-song tone. A long, monotonous “uuuuuuuuuuhn” echoes back to her, indicating that Cheng Xiaoshi is still alive, and probably in the same condition Lu Guang left him in.
His assumptions are proven correct when Lu Guang follows Qiao Ling to the living room. Though now Cheng Xiaoshi has a hand over his forehead like a swooning maiden as well. Lu Guang crosses his arms at Cheng Xiaoshi’s childishness. He expects Qiao Ling to share in his annoyance, but she smiles good naturedly as she sits down on the edge of the couch to pull his hand from his face and replace it with her own, pushing his bangs back to feel his temperature.
Lu Guang ignores the odd feeling in his gut watching the tender gesture. Their relationship has always been a curious thing to him. As an only child, sibling dynamics have always been interesting to observe. Though they may not be related by blood, Qiao Ling and Cheng Xiaoshi have been together for half of their lives, and little moments like this show their closeness. While Lu Guang spent most of the day reluctant to get within a few feet of Cheng Xiaoshi, Qiao Ling presses her hand gently to his forehead with no hesitation, frowning at whatever she feels. Lu Guang wonders if he should have pushed past his own reservations and checked his temperature himself earlier. He silently curses them for not owning a thermometer.
“Sorry I’m late,” Qiao Ling tells Cheng Xiaoshi. “I was with Xu ShanShan and Dong Yi at the new noodle shop downtown and the trains were far behind schedule. I would have taken a cab back if I knew it was urgent.”
“I almost perished while you were gone. And Lu Guang just left me here!” Cheng Xiaoshi accuses sourly, making a face at Lu Guang that he pointedly ignores.
She pats his cheek twice. “Don’t be like that. Lu Guang was running the studio. Now,” she claps her hands together, “would you like some soup?”
Whatever dumb act Cheng Xiaoshi has been putting on for the whole conversation falls away from his face, his tired eyes lighting up again with genuine happiness. “Really?”
Qiao Ling smiles once more, then hefts her bag from the market back onto her hip and carries it to the kitchen.
“Why don’t you go upstairs and sleep in an actual bed for a while?” she calls over the rustling of the bag as she pulls ingredients out and sets them on their small counter. “Lu Guang can help you!”
Lu Guang isn’t sure what face he is making, but if he had to guess, it probably looks similar to the expression he made last week when he stepped in dog poop on the sidewalk. Cheng Xiaoshi stares back at him, eyes narrowed.
“I can take myself, actually.”
He pulls himself to his feet, albeit much slower than he would on a typical day. Cheng Xiaoshi is normally so bouncy and energetic that Lu Guang often wonders if he’s possessed by a child. Lu Guang’s own muted personality is only made more apparent the longer he spends time by Cheng Xiaoshi’s side.
Cheng Xiaoshi drapes the quilt over his shoulders and shuffles out of the room past Lu Guang. After he leaves, Lu Guang glances at the lined trash can they left by the couch; mercifully, it’s still empty.
Qiao Ling is already in the kitchen, pulling out a few of the ingredients from her bag and setting them on their cutting board beside their hot plate. Calling the meager set-up a “kitchen” is more generous than it deserves. With a sink and a few feet of counter space, the area barely counts as a kitchenette, but Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang make do. It’s not like either of them do much cooking anyway. Their singular hot plate is more than enough to boil water for cup noodles.
He approaches the kitchen and sits on a wooden chair near the counter, watching Qiao Ling as she chops vegetables.
“You’re being awfully nice to him.”
“And you’re being awfully cold,” she counters, thought she doesn’t sound upset by it. “What’s gotten you in such a mood? Did he do something?”
Lu Guang rests his chin on his fist. “No, he’s just been trying my patience all day.”
“That’s nothing new,” she says with a laugh. “He’s always like that when he’s sick. He used to drive my parents crazy when we were kids. Always wallowing and complaining whenever he got even the slightest cold.”
Lu Guang internally wilts. So he’s going to be dealing with dramatics like this every time Cheng Xiaoshi gets sick? How many times will he be written out of his will?
“And you humor him?” Lu Guang asks.
“He’s sick,” Qiao Ling says with a shrug. “It’s the one time I’ll let it slide.”
They fall into an easy silence for a few minutes, Qiao Ling getting a pot of broth simmering on the hot plate as she chops the vegetables, the quiet shuck shuck shuck of the knife against the wooden cutting board being the only sound in the room as Lu Guang reflects on his own attitude.
“What kind of soup are you making him?” Lu Guang asks after a while, peering at the ingredients spread across the counter.
“I’m honestly not sure,” Qiao Ling says dubiously. “When we were little, Cheng Xiaoshi used to always claim that his mom had a soup recipe that would cure you of just about anything. During all his complaining he would beg for his mother’s soup. Taking pity on him, I made him some when we were maybe eleven. He ate it, but according to him it tasted all wrong. It’s been my mission since then to try and replicate the recipe correctly.”
“Are you close?”
Qiao Ling shrugs and shakes her head. “Who knows?”
She points to a piece of paper she set on the counter earlier. A basic herbal soup recipe was written at the top, and the bottom had subsequent ingredients written down, scratched out, added quantity to, over and over again in a formless mess.
“These are all my attempts so far. I found out it starts with chicken bone broth. And contains daikon radishes. And root vegetables. And fennel. But the rest is just blind guessing. He tries to offer me suggestions, but I don’t even know if he remembers what the original tasted like at this point.”
“But you make him soup all the same?”
Qiao Ling nods. “I make him soup all the same. He likes being cared for.”
They devolve into silence once more, this time more comfortably than the last. Lu Guang observes Qiao Ling as she works, stirring the broth and submerging herbs in a small pouch made of cheesecloth. Occasionally, Lu Guang glances at the scribbled-over piece of paper, tallying up all of Qiao Ling’s attempts to replicate Cheng Xiaoshi’s mother’s recipe over the years. Given the amount of time Cheng Xiaoshi and Qiao Ling spent arguing, Lu Guang could hardly believe this caring and sweet side of Qiao Ling. They weren’t really siblings, but all the scribbles on that sheet of paper surely remind Lu Guang of something a sister would do for her brother.
After several cycles of simmering, taste-testing, adding ingredients, and simmering once more, Qiao Ling finally declares the soup to be finished. After searching their tiny kitchen and being unable to locate their small wooden serving tray, Qiao Ling settles for retrieving Cheng Xiaoshi from his bed and depositing him in the kitchen beside Lu Guang at the counter.
If his movements were slightly sluggish before, the slowness is only exaggerated now as he gingerly lowers himself to his seat. Lu Guang recalls the small dish of wonton strips and glass of water on the coffee table when he and Qiao Ling came to see him this evening, untouched from how Lu Guang had left them. Cheng Xiaoshi probably hasn’t had anything to eat or drink all day for fear of being sick again. The usually fluffy hair stuck to his temples with sweat indicates he probably does have a fever.
Lu Guang is so focused on Cheng Xiaoshi that he’s surprised when he looks down to see not one bowl of soup, but three being prepared by Qiao Ling.
“We all need to taste-test it, don’t we?” Qiao Ling says with a grin she aims at Cheng Xiaoshi. She slides the bowls across the counter to the boys and places a bowl in front of herself as well.
Cheng Xiaoshi, though still looking haggard, grins back like this is custom, and digs into his soup with a gusto Lu Guang didn’t think he was capable of, given his ailment. Across the counter, Qiao Ling sips from her spoon as well. Not wanting to be rude, Lu Guang dips his spoon into his bowl and brings it to his lips, tasting the soup Qiao Ling has spent the past few hours perfecting. Warmth floods his chest as he swallows the spoonful, and despite not being sick himself, Lu Guang can feel the earthy root vegetables and flavorful broth breathing new life into him. He had no idea Qiao Ling was such a fantastic cook.
“Well?” Qiao Ling asks, looking to Cheng Xiaoshi, who was currently devouring his bowl like he thinks it might be taken from him if he slows down.
He stops suddenly, his spoon clanking against his bowl. He swallows thoughtfully.
“I think you’re getting close!” he says, his smile as sunny as ever. His tone isn’t patronizing; there’s a naïve kindness to it that prevents Qiao Ling from being hurt, though there is a slight disappointment in her eyes that Lu Guang catches, though Cheng Xiaoshi doesn’t seem to. It must be frustrating that after all these attempts she’s yet to nail down the correct flavor.
“Maybe it could use more sweetness?” Cheng Xiaoshi muses, like that was something common in bone broth soups.
Nonetheless, Qiao Ling jots down the critique on her cheat sheet diligently, the character for “sweeter” followed by several question marks. Lu Guang doesn’t blame her confusion. His critique is both vague and unhelpful.
All of them finish their bowls of soup, regardless of lack of sweetness. Lu Guang can’t help but marvel at the rich and flavorful taste of the soup, whipped together in only a few hours’ time. When Cheng Xiaoshi begins nodding off at the counter, Qiao Ling places a hand on his shoulder and instructs him to go back to bed.
He nods, sending her a sleepy smile before turning to leave the kitchen.
“Thank you, my landlady!” he says jovially.
“Bah, bah, get out of her before I charge you for it,” Qiao Ling says, sounding more like her usual self, though with the same gentle teasing in her tone she’s been using all day.
Lu Guang waits for Cheng Xiaoshi to leave the room before turning to look Qiao Ling in the eye.
“Sweeter?”
Qiao Ling sucks her lips in for a moment, trying to hold it back, but eventually giggles tumble out of her, the sound of her laughter bouncing off the tiles of the kitchen. Even Lu Guang snorts, unable to help himself.
“He’s always like this,” she says fondly, as she begins ladling the soup into smaller containers to fit in Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi’s fridge. “I try to make him the soup he wants, but he’s so unhelpful. What could have possibly made her soup sweet? Beets?” she asks incredulously. “That would change the color of the broth too much, though. Ah! I can’t even make a guess right now. One day I’m just going to put a spoonful of sugar in his bowl and see if that makes a difference.”
Lu Guang chuckles softly and offers to finish the dishes for her since she cooked the meal. She stays in the apartment a little while longer, chatting with Lu Guang while he washes, and she dries. Afterwards, Lu Gung instructs Qiao Ling to go home before it gets too dark. Qiao Ling agrees, going upstairs to check on Cheng Xiaoshi once more before leaving for the night.
Lu Guang ponders staying downstairs for a few minutes, allowing Cheng Xiaoshi time to get settled into sleep before going up to their room. He has a book he’s been meaning to finish, so Lu Guang goes to the living room and turns on a small lamp, prepared to stay a while.
He only manages to read a few pages before he hears rustling from the top of the stairs, and soon Cheng Xiaoshi is descending them slowly, still wrapped in his quilt.
“I thought you were going to bed,” says Lu Guang.
Cheng Xiaoshi shakes his head petulantly. “I’ve been sleeping all day! I don’t think I can anymore. Watch something with me.”
Lu Guang looks at the novel in his hands, then back to his roommate uncertainly. Cheng Xiaoshi looks at him with hopeful eyes, like he’s a child and Lu Guang is a strict parent deciding whether he’s allowed to stay up past curfew. He really does revert into a younger state when he’s sick.
Lu Guang knows he should tell Cheng Xiaoshi to go back to bed; rest was an important part of getting well again, and even in the dim light he can still see how pale his complexion is. But Cheng Xiaoshi blinks his brown eyes at him once more and Lu Guang feels himself giving in.
“Fine,” Lu Guang says, sounding resigned. He ignores the way his face warms when Cheng Xiaoshi smiles at him and plops down right beside him on the couch. “But only for a short while.” He leans forward to open his laptop on the coffee table and pull up a movie from a few days ago that they never finished. When he leans back on the couch, Cheng Xiaoshi is practically sidled up next to him, legs touching and giant quilt pressing into Lu Guang’s side.
Lu Guang raises an eyebrow, before adding:
“And if you puke on me, I’m never speaking to you again.”
Cheng Xiaoshi laughs and scoots over to the other side of the couch instead. Lu Guang uses his foot to push the small garbage can to Cheng Xiaoshi’s side of the couch as well, though he doesn’t think Cheng Xiaoshi has gotten sick since this morning.
The tense atmosphere from the day has finally fallen from between them, and they watch the movie peacefully. Whenever Lu Guang glances at Cheng Xiaoshi from the corner of his eye, his eyes are bright.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lu Guang jolts awake to the sound of dinging beside his ear.
His alarm. It was just his alarm. He looks around the room in the dim light of the morning sun. His books are still neatly piled on the desk, Cheng Xiaoshi’s clothes from yesterday are still scattered across the floor. He breathes slowly.
He thought this would be easier. He’d only experienced Cheng Xiaoshi being gone from this world for a few hours, so by comparison a world where he softly snores beneath Lu Guang, oblivious to his phone’s own buzzing alarm, should be normal by comparison. But being in this timeline is like wearing a shirt that’s buttoned up wrong. Maybe it’s his body, a year younger, that feels so odd. Maybe it’s this room, this hazy, peaceful atmosphere that’s getting to him. His alarm is still distantly ringing in his ears, and it sounds so much like the sirens from that night. He’s been in this new (old?) life for a month, but nothing has felt comfortable yet.
Lu Guang tries not to dwell on it as he quietly climbs down the ladder of their shared bunkbed and makes his way to the kitchen in his t-shirt and sleep shorts. He’ll make them tea, fix up a simple breakfast, and keep pretending that a month ago his hands weren’t soaked in the hot pulses of Cheng Xiaoshi’s blood. Lu Guang can still feel the crusty sensation of where it dried between his fingers. He washes his hands, taking extra time to scrub them like the phantom blood can finally be burned from his skin’s memory if he uses water that’s hot enough.
When his skin starts to feel sensitive, he finally gives it a rest. He needs to stop doing that. Cheng Xiaoshi is going to notice his scrubbing one of these days and question him about it. He dries his hands on a dishtowel, a fleck of blood still visible only to him on his right knuckle. He won’t wash it again, he won’t wash it again, he won’t—
Where is Cheng Xiaoshi anyway? Shouldn’t he be up by now?
Lu Guang shoves his hands in his pockets and ascends the stairs. He wonders how he should wake him. He doesn’t want to startle him, but Cheng Xiaoshi’s laziness is going to cut breakfast short. Now when they open the studio, he’s going to spend all morning complaining about his hunger, and Lu Guang will spend all morning secretly considering ordering delivery for him, before reminding himself that he never would have done that two years ago to placate him.
Lu Guang’s head is still buzzing with too many colliding thoughts when Cheng Xiaoshi whips open their bedroom door and flies past him, slamming the bathroom door shut louder than necessary.
Lu Guang sighs and paces over the bathroom door, calling “Hurry up in there or we’re going to be—”
That’s about all he gets out before he hears a horrible guttural cough, then the echoing sound of liquid splashing against the toilet water.
Oh.
Lu Guang had forgotten all about this day. This was the first time he had seen Cheng Xiaoshi sick. He’d spent the morning throwing up and the afternoon wasting away on their couch in the living room, whining while Lu Guang tried to figure out what was wrong.
“Cheng Xiaoshi? What’s wrong?” Lu Guang calls through the bathroom door.
More retching. A dumb question, but he’s sure he must have asked something like this the first time around. He opens the bathroom door slowly, peering in to see Cheng Xiaoshi kneeling before their toilet, forehead resting on his forearms as he pants.
“Sick,” Cheng Xiaoshi replies finally, like that wasn’t glaringly obvious.
“Do you think you can stand?” Lu Guang asks.
Cheng Xiaoshi nods, panting for a moment longer before pulling himself to his feet carefully. He leaves the bathroom, and they speak for a moment before Cheng Xiaoshi rushes back to the bathroom a second time. Lu Guang already knows, but says anyway, “You’re in no condition to work today. You should go back to sleep.”
He doesn’t remember Cheng Xiaoshi looking this miserable. His skin is pale and clammy, his bangs hanging limply in front of his eyes as he nods. Lu Guang helps him to his feet this time, allowing himself to keep a hand between Cheng Xiaoshi’s shoulders as he walks him to the couch. He leaves for a moment to get him a quilt to cover up with and remembers to grab the wastepaper basket from their room, too, lest Cheng Xiaoshi need to be sick again and not be able to make it to the toilet. Did he continue throwing up the rest of the day? Lu Guang wishes he had committed more of these days to memory.
He passes the quilt over to Cheng Xiaoshi, setting the basket on the floor and lining it with a plastic bag.
“Do you think it was something you ate?”
“How should I know? It’s not like it was written in the bottom of the toilet bowl!” he says indignantly.
Lu Guang never ended up getting sick last time, and they ate the same food yesterday, so he doubts it was food poisoning. Most likely a 24-hour bug that Cheng Xiaoshi was unfortunate to catch. Lu Guang watches Cheng Xiaoshi wrap the quilt around his shoulders, going as far as to pull it over his head as he shivered. Lu Guang doesn’t know how he missed Cheng Xiaoshi’s fever before. He’s obviously freezing right now. Guilt claws at Lu Guang’s throat. He swallows it down.
“It’s probably a stomach virus,” he says curtly.
Cheng Xiaoshi looks at him pitifully. “Can you cure me, Lu Guang?”
Lu Guang internally reminds himself of all the good times he will spend with Cheng Xiaoshi after this. One day of sickness is not the end of the world (Lu Guang already knows what that is), so he shouldn’t feel so terrible about leaving Cheng Xiaoshi alone. It’s what he did last time, so he has to follow the flow of the timeline.
“No. What I can do is go down to open the studio. And you can stay up here and keep your puke away from the customers.”
“You’re leaving me?” Cheng Xiaoshi cries. “In my hour of need, you’re going to abandon me?”
Never, he thinks desperately. But this is not the same as that night.
It’s not that serious, Lu Guang reminds himself. It’s one day of being apart from him. The first time this happened Lu Guang had been secretly pleased to be away from Cheng Xiaoshi’s sickness. He didn’t know how to deal with taking care of someone, and it seemed easier to leave Cheng Xiaoshi to his own devices while Lu Guang managed their responsibilities with the studio. He tries to channel that energy now, putting on a show of rolling his eyes at Cheng Xiaoshi.
“I’m going to be directly underneath you, idiot. Just call me if you need something. Someone has to pay rent this month.”
“Do you think Qiao Ling will come to take care of me?”
“Maybe later,” Lu Guang says, thinking of Qiao Ling and her morale-saving soup showing up later today.
“Later? I’m sick now,” Cheng Xiaoshi laments, trying to sit up without jostling himself.
Suddenly, Cheng Xiaoshi sucks in a sharp breath; Lu Guang’s back straightens at the noise.
It’s too similar to the sounds Cheng Xiaoshi made that night. Lu Guang’s skin pebbles with a sudden chill, and his palms begin to sweat instinctively. He can feel the world begin to spin when Cheng Xiaoshi leans forward and throws up what’s left in him in the garbage can beside him.
The sound and the smell and the memories are too much for him, so Lu Guang turns on his heel and leaves the room.
---
This is not a great time to be having a panic attack. Lu Guang has closed himself in the darkroom and is currently counting backwards from one hundred, telling himself that Cheng Xiaoshi is fine and that today is normal and that no one is gasping for their last breaths right now, blood gurgling from a bullet hole in their chest.
But he’s fucked things up. Lu Guang doesn’t remember how he left Cheng Xiaoshi last time, but it wasn’t that suddenly and it definitely wasn’t mid-puke. So now on top of controlling the PTSD he’s not supposed to have, Lu Guang also must control the panic that he’s fucking up a timeline he’s not supposed to know about. There’s too many fears to keep track of, and the day has hardly even begun. Lu Guang looks down at his shaking hands, then immediately regrets that choice, the red lighting of the darkroom not helping his spiraling mental state at all.
He goes to the bathroom in the studio, splashing water on his face and washing his hands for far longer than necessary before leaving, then heads back up to the apartment to fix things.
Cheng Xiaoshi looks at him bitterly.
“I—” Lu Guang looks at him guiltily. “I don’t do well around puking.”
“I noticed,” Cheng Xiaoshi says.
“I’m sorry,” Lu Guang says, not knowing what else to say.
Cheng Xiaoshi’s expression softens. Lu Guang could never understand this. How easily forgiven he was.
He grabs the trash can and empties it into the garbage in the kitchen, returning it by Cheng Xiaoshi’s side with a fresh bag in it.
Concern paints Cheng Xiaoshi’s pale features. “Are you sure you aren’t sick too, Lu Guang? You don’t look well.”
Lu Guang remembers his quest to return to the normal timeline before he hits an unchangeable node.
“I’m fine. I should go open the studio. I have my phone, so call if you need anything.”
He heads downstairs, and after a few minutes of preparation, opens the studio. The world won’t stop turning just because of one man’s existential crisis. The morning is mostly quiet, only a few customers coming in to pick up prints from the day before. Lu Guang could spend his free moments developing more photographs in the darkroom, but he can’t bear to go back into the red lighting alone just yet. He spends the morning dusting the studio and wiping down the front windows, completing small, menial tasks while he waits for lunchtime to go check on Cheng Xiaoshi.
He doesn’t call, but Lu Guang doesn’t expect him to, so the morning passes by in relative peace. It reminds Lu Guang of times when Cheng Xiaoshi is on a dive and Lu Guang is left to take care of things while he’s gone. He’s used to this, so he tries not to let it bother him that precious moments he could be spending with Cheng Xiaoshi are being wasted alone.
At lunchtime he closes the studio and returns to the apartment. Cheng Xiaoshi is right where he left him, the quilt pulled up to his chin as he lies on the couch.
“Lu Guaaaaaang…” Cheng Xiaoshi moans, long and desperate. “Everything huuuurts.”
“What hurts?” Lu Guang asks. His body, probably. With the fever and shivering his whole body probably aches. “Is it your stomach still? Your body? Are you going to be sick again?”
Cheng Xiaoshi only grumbles irritably. “You ask too many questions.”
Lu Guang lets out a controlled breath. Ah, there’s the irritation he should have been channeling all morning.
“I’m trying to help you. Be more specific about your symptoms, Cheng Xiaoshi.”
“I’m dying, is that specific enough for you?”
Lu Guang’s irritation evaporates, the breath punched out of him. He’s kidding. Lu Guang knows it’s a joke, but it’s not one he likes.
Cheng Xiaoshi ignores whatever expression is on Lu Guang’s face, rolling his eyes back in fake agony. “I’m not gonna make it. Call Qiao Ling. Tell her to come quickly so I can update my will.”
It’s a stupid impulse, but Lu Guang can’t stand it. He needs to touch him. To feel Cheng Xiaoshi, alive, beneath his palms. Lu Guang sits on the edge of the couch, reaching forward towards Cheng Xiaoshi’s face. He opens his eyes suddenly, flinching away from Lu Guang’s touch.
“What are you doing?” he squeaks.
Lu Guang thinks fast. “I’m trying to check your temperature, idiot. We don’t have a thermometer.”
Cheng Xiaoshi blinks a few times, then gingerly leans forward, letting Lu Guang’s cool fingers brush his damp bangs back and rest on his forehead for a moment. Something inside Lu Guang settles at the contact. He’s warm, but not dangerously so. Lu Guang feels his own forehead for comparison with his other hand, and notes that the difference between them is minute.
“A slight fever,” he confirms after a few more seconds. His hand trails down Cheng Xiaoshi’s temple of its own accord before Lu Guang pulls it away reluctantly. Cheng Xiaoshi frowns like he’s disappointed.
Lu Guang stands up. “I’ll see if we have any medicine.”
He leaves the room, mostly to put space between them, and searches the kitchenette for medicine he knows he won’t find. Their kitchen was rarely ever stocked with things they actually needed. It took a long time for Lu Guang to finally begin purchasing useful things for their apartment, like medicine or first aid kits. Right now, all their cupboards are stuffed to the brim with cup noodles and other convenience food. Lu Guang sighs. It will be so long before they can afford nicer groceries.
He returns empty-handed. Cheng Xiaoshi doesn’t look surprised.
“I don’t know what you expected to find,” he says with a sad snort.
Lu Guang sighs. He needs to get back to the studio. He goes back to the kitchen once more and returns with a glass of water and a dish of plain wonton strips.
“Here. This should be simple enough to digest. Try to eat something and see if you can keep it down. And make sure to drink water. I’ll come check on you in a few hours.”
If leaving him was hard a few hours ago, now it’s taking a Herculean amount of strength to leave Cheng Xiaoshi behind. Lu Guang has to stand at the front counter of Time Photo Studio and pretend to be a normal person while his mind is still lingering on the feeling of Cheng Xiaoshi’s clammy skin beneath his hand. He could have gotten him a wet cloth to put on his forehead, at least. He debates going back up, but a customer comes in, and Lu Guang’s attention is needed elsewhere.
After they leave, Lu Guang tackles the darkroom, finally. Leaving these photos for another day could mess up the timeline somehow, and it’s imperative that he keeps things the same. The critical node he’s waiting to change hasn’t happened yet.
He tips a photo back and forth in the developer fluid, wondering if he’d crossed a line to reach for Cheng Xiaoshi the way he did earlier. Lu Guang tended to avoid physical contact in the past. It wasn’t something he was used to, before he met Cheng Xiaoshi. Lu Guang had kept firm physical boundaries between himself and others, holding himself at a distance.
But with Cheng Xiaoshi, there was no such thing as distance. If Cheng Xiaoshi wasn’t casually leaning into Lu Guang’s personal space, he was slinging an arm around his neck, grabbing his sleeve, nuzzling his face into Lu Guang’s shoulder to get his attention. Lu Guang couldn’t fathom that other people could be this physical, and it always confounded him. It didn’t take long in their friendship for Lu Guang to give up on pushing Cheng Xiaoshi away. It was clear he wasn’t ever going to stop invading Lu Guang’s space, and after a while it stopped feeling invasive, truthfully.
But Lu Guang had never been the type to initiate contact. That was one of the toughest parts of being in this timeline, if he was being honest.
---
Lu Guang had realized just how difficult restraining himself could be on his first day in this timeline.
He had only had a few hours to think about it. After declaring Cheng Xiaoshi dead, the police officers had dragged Lu Guang back to the station to question him. Despite Captain Xiao’s patience with him, they could barely get a word out of him, much less a helpful statement. They wanted specifics, any clues to help them with the serial killer case, but Lu Guang could barely breathe, staring at his shaking hands in the bright fluorescent light of the station. Lu Guang didn’t care about answers, he only cared about fixing things.
After a few hours, an officer drove him back to the studio. Lu Guang bounded upstairs, his mind already made up. He would save Cheng Xiaoshi if it was the last thing he did.
He sat down at their shared desk, a picture he took from one year ago lying before him. He could have waited longer to make the decision, but waiting was not going to bring Cheng Xiaoshi back. This might.
Clap!
Lu Guang blinked. The bleak shadows of their bedroom were replaced instantly with streaks of afternoon sunlight streaming in through the large windows of the living room. Lu Guang lowered the phone in his hands, looking at the photo of a small slip of paper resting on his knee—a fortune from a fortune cookie.
“Well?”
The sound of his voice, bright and curious, made Lu Guang flinch.
“What does it say, Lu Guang?”
Lu Guang looked up.
And there he was. Cheng Xiaoshi, staring at him, breathing and alive and wearing his pristine varsity jacket, un-stained by blood. He looked at Lu Guang expectantly, and Lu Guang threw himself at him.
Barely able to contain his emotions, Lu Guang crashed into Cheng Xiaoshi and pulled him into a breathtaking embrace, almost knocking the takeout from his hands.
“Lu Guang?” Cheng Xiaoshi had shouted in surprise, not knowing what else to say with the sudden attack of affection.
Lu Guang held tight to Cheng Xiaoshi, feeling his hair tickle his cheek and breathing in his scent. He’d been dead. Just hours before. The police were mid-investigation with a serial killer on the loose, and Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang had gotten too close. Cheng Xiaoshi was unexpectedly killed, dying as he lay in Lu Guang’s arms. He could still hear Cheng Xiaoshi’s stuttering gasps as the blood gurgled out of the wound in his chest. Lu Guang’s dry palms still felt slick with the sensation of warm blood.
Lu Guang was so grateful for another chance, another moment with Cheng Xiaoshi. He almost lost himself in the sensation of feeling him, warm and safe and alive in his arms.
But then the second rule of diving flashed through his head like lightning.
Change nothing.
This was his first lesson.
“What’s wrong, Lu Guang?” Cheng Xiaoshi asked him.
Lu Guang stepped away suddenly, still marveling at the sound of Cheng Xiaoshi’s voice and reeling for an excuse. He awkwardly returned to his chair and picked up the piece of paper he was taking a picture of when he’d reinhabited the past.
“My fortune,” he said stiffly. “It told me to hug a treasured friend.”
Cheng Xiaoshi beamed at his response. “Does it bring good luck?”
“Sure,” Lu Guang said, trying to recover when everything about Cheng Xiaoshi’s smile made him want to cry. It worked. He’d dove back in time and would find a way to fix everything. He’d find a way to make it up to Cheng Xiaoshi for losing him before.
But the damage to the timeline had already been done. The rest of the day Cheng Xiaoshi kept bringing it up.
“Don’t you think you should let your treasured friend handle that invoice for you?”
“C’mon, Lu Guang! Try the crane. I’m here with you to bring you good fortune after all.”
Lu Guang couldn’t escape it. One misstep, and he’d already altered the timeline. He’d never understood why following directions during a dive was so hard for Cheng Xiaoshi, but it was becoming clearer now.
It wasn’t until they were in their apartment that night, Qiao Ling meeting them to discuss a new client, that things shifted back to normal.
Qiao Ling stood in the living room, thumbing through posts on her phone, when Cheng Xiaoshi brought it up.
“Hey Qiao Ling, did you know that I’m Lu Guang’s treasured friend?” he asked, pointing to leftover fortune cookies. Lu Guang had trashed the piece of paper from before, not letting Cheng Xiaoshi read the message on it that contradicted his odd behavior. “I’ve been bringing him good fortune all day!” he said proudly.
Qiao Ling didn’t look from up from the phone she was scrolling through, which didn’t have its usual bunny case.
“Hey, Lu Guang,” she said, unimpressed, “could you tell your lucky charm that if he stopped spending money on mobile gatcha games and take-out he might be able to afford his monthly rent?”
“Hey, that’s my phone!” Cheng Xiaoshi shouted, pushing past Lu Guang to fight Qiao Ling for his cell phone. His reach was longer, so after a second of wrestling it was back in his hands. “How did you even unlock it?”
Qiao Ling sneered. “If you’re foolish enough to make your password your birthday then you deserved it. Look, I bet Lu Guang’s password is harder to crack. He’s younger than you but still wiser. Right, Lu Guang?”
Lu Guang blinked, suddenly remembering this conversation from the first time they had it. His password was also his birthday.
Cheng Xiaoshi burst into laughter, knowing Lu Guang’s password to be just as easy as his, and Lu Guang fumbled with his settings, slinking shamefully over to the other side of the room to change it out of their line of sight, like he had years ago. He silently thanked Qiao Ling for returning the conversation back to the normal flow of the timeline. He needed to remember not to slip up like he did today. There was a larger node he was aiming to change, and he couldn’t falter in the early stages.
He looked down at his phone’s password settings and gave himself a reminder.
“Are you going to tell me your new one?” Cheng Xiaoshi asked, throwing his arm over Lu Guang’s shoulder and leaning into his personal space.
There it was again. Lu Guang’s heartbeat tripled at the sensation of Cheng Xiaoshi so close to him. Lu Guang resisted the urge to pull Cheng Xiaoshi in closer, to revel in the sound of his breathing and the feeling of his pulse. If the old Lu Guang didn’t do those things, he couldn’t do them either.
If Lu Guang was a little slower in pushing him away, well. That was neither here nor there.
---
Lu Guang shakes his head at the memory as he pins the photos on the line to dry and leaves the darkroom. The sun is dipping behind the buildings across the street, so it must be close to closing time. Lu Guang looks at his watch. Any minute now, Qiao Ling will be bursting through the studio door to make Cheng Xiaoshi her magical soup, reviving him from his illness and returning the vitality to him. Lu Guang checks the register to make sure the till is correctly counted, glancing at the front door every few minutes.
After a while it begins to unnerve him. Was she this late last time? Lu Guang could swear she came around closing time. Lu Guang opens his phone to check for messages from her, swiping over to his Recent Calls menu to ask where she is.
Lu Guang’s blood congeals in his veins.
His last few Outgoing Calls are all to Cheng Xiaoshi, from days ago. Lu Guang hasn’t spoken with Qiao Ling today.
If he hasn’t called Qiao Ling, that means she doesn’t even know Cheng Xiaoshi is sick. If she doesn’t know he’s sick, she is unaware that she is supposed to urgently come to the studio. If she doesn’t come quickly, she won’t have time to make Cheng Xiaoshi her replicated recipe. If she doesn’t make the soup, the timeline—
Lu Guang puts his hands to his head, his fingers gripping the roots of his hair as he pulls in frustration.
This can’t be happening. Just one slip up, and everything could fall apart. What if eating Qiao Ling’s soup was a critical node? Lu Guang’s painstaking care of keeping this timeline the same will all be undone because he forgot to make a single phone call.
Lu Guang tries to ignore the tremor in his hands as he dials Qiao Ling’s number.
“He’s sick?” Qiao Ling asks him. “I’m surprised you didn’t tell me sooner. I could have taken care of him so you could keep running the studio.”
“I still opened today. Cheng Xiaoshi is upstairs.”
“You left him alone?” she asks. There’s a little too much emotion packed into the question for Lu Guang to overlook.
“Should I not have?”
Qiao Ling hesitates. “No, it’s—it’s fine…he’s just sensitive about being left alone. You know.”
You know.
She leaves the implication dangling before him. Lu Guang wants to slap himself. He did know. And now this is the second time he’s left Cheng Xiaoshi by himself when he was feeling vulnerable. Lu Guang burns with shame.
“He’s been asking for you,” Lu Guang tells her, feeling defeated. “Is there any chance you could stop by?”
“Probably not tonight,” she says. Lu Guang’s heart sinks even further. “There’s an event going on downtown. All the trains are behind schedule, and it will be impossible to hail a cab in the crowd. You said he was asking for me? He probably just wants—well, it doesn’t matter now. Tell him I can stop by tomorrow if he’s still feeling unwell, okay?”
Their phone call ends shortly afterwards. Lu Guang stares out the window of the studio, watching the sky become streaked in pinks and purples. It’s getting late. He supposes there’s nothing else to do but to face Cheng Xiaoshi. He doubts there’s any way to recover the timeline now. All he can hope for is that today’s missteps didn’t change any critical nodes for the future.
Lu Guang’s limbs feel heavy as he climbs the stairs, every changed minute weighing down his body as he goes to check on his friend. Cheng Xiaoshi is exactly where Lu Guang left him, though now he has an arm thrown over his eyes, trying to block out the rays of the setting sun as they beam in through the windows of the sunroom.
“Hey.” Lu Guang sits in the chair beside the couch.
Cheng Xiaoshi pulls his arm away from his pale face. His eyebrows draw up in concern. “Hey. Are you okay?”
Lu Guang can’t even fathom what his expression must look like right now. “Yeah, just tired.”
Even though he’s ill, Cheng Xiaoshi still manages to grin. “Looks like someone is finally realizing how much work I do in the studio. And you say I don’t pull my own weight.”
Lu Guang tries for a smile, though he doesn’t think he quite manages it. “You’re right. Today was hard without you.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Cheng Xiaoshi sits up gingerly. “If you’re sick too, you should say something.” His concern almost cheers Lu Guang up, but then he continues, “When Qiao Ling gets here, you can ask her for some—”
“Qiao Ling isn’t coming.”
He keeps his eyes trained on his lap, so he doesn’t have to see Cheng Xiaoshi’s disappointed expression.
Lu Guang is so tired. He wishes he could freeze this conversation, this whole day, and go nap for a thousand hours. The stress of it all is sucking the marrow from his bones. He wishes he could do today over again. He doesn’t know if he’d have the strength to do today over again. The longer Lu Guang exists in this timeline, the more he wonders if his mission is even possible. Will living in the past really allow Lu Guang to eventually change Cheng Xiaoshi’s future? Or is Cheng Xiaoshi existing on borrowed time? He thinks of today’s mistakes, piling up on one another, how one misstep can change the entire course of the future, and feels dizzy.
He jumps a bit when the feeling of cool glass brushes against his knuckles. Cheng Xiaoshi is pushing a glass of water into his hand.
“Drink.”
Cheng Xiaoshi’s stern command is so absolute that Lu Guang actually obeys, taking a sip of the water, which turns into a gulp, which turns to him finishing the glass.
Cheng Xiaoshi pushes the plate of wonton strips across the table to Lu Guang, who delicately takes one and crunches down on it.
“Better?” Cheng Xiaoshi asks.
Lu Guang nods. The world has righted itself a little, and the shining edges of his vision have receded back to normalcy. He looks down at the empty glass in his hand, the dish on the table. Recognition hits him.
“I left these out for you,” Lu Guang accuses.
Cheng Xiaoshi shrugs, the blanket slipping from his shoulder a little. “You looked like you needed them more.”
Lu Guang sighs. “You haven’t eaten anything today, have you?”
He shrugs again. “Not hungry.”
Lu Guang thinks of the last time he lived this day, and the way Cheng Xiaoshi devoured his meal. He doesn’t believe him.
“It’s just that…normally, when I’m sick—” Cheng Xiaoshi cuts himself off, like he doesn’t want to say it and make Lu Guang feel worse.
Lu Guang finishes his thought for him. “Qiao Ling normally cooks for you, doesn’t she?”
“It’s not just that. It’s stupid, really,” Cheng Xiaoshi says, rubbing the back of his head. “It’s a tradition she started when we were kids. She tries to recreate a dish my mom made for me when I was little.”
Even after years of knowing him, Lu Guang can’t remember Cheng Xiaoshi ever telling him this story himself. Should Lu Guang have thought to ask?
“What dish?” he asks carefully.
“Just soup,” he says, sounding shy. “I guess when I was little it was difficult getting me to eat nutritious foods. When I was sick my mom would make this incredible soup that had a ton of nutritional value, but somehow didn’t taste bad! It was like she covered up the taste of every awful vegetable somehow.” Cheng Xiaoshi looks down, fiddling with the edge of his quilt. “I never really questioned how she made all those healthy things taste so good. Special mom powers, I guess.”
Now Lu Guang remembers why he never asked for this story. He never liked this, hearing fond memories about Cheng Xiaoshi’s parents. He’d never tell him, but Lu Guang hates them. He hates how they abandoned their son and constantly villainizes them in his head whenever Cheng Xiaoshi brings them up.
He also hates them because he can’t stand the way Cheng Xiaoshi looks after talking about them. The sad, distant look in his eyes as his gaze trails back to the door, like part of him is always waiting for them to return through it.
Lu Guang stands suddenly, startling Cheng Xiaoshi. “What was in this soup?”
“Lu Guang?”
Lu Guang rifles through a drawer in their kitchenette, locating a piece of scrap paper. “What were the ingredients?”
Cheng Xiaoshi looks dumbstruck, still not entirely sure what Lu Guang’s intent is. “I’m not sure. Qiao Ling has been trying to recreate it for years.”
“Then tell me the ingredients you know to be correct. I’ll try to make it.”
“You don’t know how to cook!” Cheng Xiaoshi says incredulously. “And you definitely don’t know how to make soup.”
Lu Guang does. A year from now Cheng Xiaoshi will make him a bowl of noodles so lumpy and overcooked that Lu Guang will actually learn to cook just to spite him and make a better bowl. He knows enough to get by, not that Cheng Xiaoshi would know that right now.
“I’ve seen cooking shows,” he responds flippantly, grabbing his wallet from the table and putting it in his back pocket. “I’ll figure it out. Now, what ingredients can you remember?”
Cheng Xiaoshi rattles off a few ingredients absently, a look of disbelief on his face as Lu Guang jots them down on his paper. Lu Guang mentally tacks on a few other ingredients, remembering that they were in Qiao Ling’s soup when she made it for them originally. He wishes he could remember everything on her scribbled over recipe sheet, but this will have to do for now.
Lu Guang looks at the ingredients and nods. He makes it all the way to the stairs before stopping short. He turns to Cheng Xiaoshi, quilt still loosely wrapped around his shoulders and bewildered expression still plastered on his pale face.
“Will you be fine on your own while I go to the market?” he asks seriously.
Cheng Xiaoshi blinks at the question.
“Yeah. Yeah, I’ll be fine.”
Lu Guang nods. “Call if you need anything.”
---
The trip to the market is quick. Lu Guang grabs herbs, spices, and fresh vegetables— foods that until now would have been considered a luxury for him and Cheng Xiaoshi. If there’s a possibility it could go in a healing soup, Lu Guang adds it to his basket. He pays for it all with little concern for the few bills remaining in his wallet and hurries back to the studio.
Lu Guang paces down the road, lined with shadows now that the sun has almost fully set, with a paper bag in his arms full of ingredients he only kind of knows how to cook. He enters the studio and goes straight upstairs to Cheng Xiaoshi, who must have watched him walk up the road from the window, clammy handprint still on the glass behind him as he turns to look at Lu Guang.
Lu Guang wonders if his own expression matches the unsure one on Cheng Xiaoshi’s face.
“Well,” he starts uncomfortably. He looks down at the ingredients in the bag, which look much more intimidating now that he’s standing before Cheng Xiaoshi with them. He clears his throat delicately. “I’m going to get started.
“Let me help you—” Cheng Xiaoshi starts, trying to stand. He blinks rapidly and falls back to the couch, too lightheaded from not eating all day.
Lu Guang fills another glass of water and takes the added step to put it directly in Cheng Xiaoshi’s hand this time, the same way Cheng Xiaoshi did earlier with him. He doesn’t speak until he sees Cheng Xiaoshi take a tiny, tentative sip.
“You should be resting,” Lu Guang says. “Let me do this for you.”
The flush in cheeks probably has more to do with the illness than anything, but Cheng Xiaoshi’s expression is swirl of emotions as he relents, leaning back into the couch with a quiet “okay.”
Lu Guang returns to the kitchenette with his bag of spoils. He’d sat with Qiao Ling for the entire time that she made her healing soup the last time, so it shouldn’t be that hard to recreate a facsimile, right? Simmer some broth, chop a few vegetables, do something with herbs, how difficult could it be?
He puts their one large pot on top of their hot plate and dumps in a container’s worth of store-bought chicken bone broth. He turns on the hot plate. Step one complete.
“You should have the herbs in there already,” Lu Guang hears an annoying voice call from behind him.
He looks over his shoulder at a snuggled-up Cheng Xiaoshi, eyes closed and breathing too evenly for someone who was awake but two minutes ago.
Grumbling under his breath, Lu Guang turns off the heat and pulls out the tiny cutting board they have, ripping a few sprigs of each herb off their stems. He sets them on the board, knife hovering over them, but hesitates. Did Qiao Ling chop these?
“She normally puts them in whole.”
Lu Guang rolls his eyes and puts the knife down, reaching over the pot with his handful of herbs.
“In a bag.”
His hand stills.
“Made of cheesecloth.”
“Cheng Xiaoshi!”
Now Lu Guang is glaring over his shoulder. Cheng Xiaoshi smirks in his “sleep.”
It goes on like that for a while, with Lu Guang completing a handful of steps before a certain sleeping patient’s voice drifts from behind him with some unsolicited advice. Eventually Lu Guang gives up on pretenses and pulls a chair up to the kitchenette and glares at it pointedly until Cheng Xiaoshi happily takes a seat. Lu Guang only lets him stay after he finishes his whole glass of water.
But it’s…nice. Neither of them have ever been good cooks. And it won’t be months until they’ve built up a strong enough reputation from diving to earn them some real money for groceries. But it reminds Lu Guang of a time not that long ago, a time that hasn’t yet happened, where he and Cheng Xiaoshi would stand in their tiny kitchenette, shoulder to shoulder, as they argued about how much bean paste to put in their mapo tofu. Emotion still claws at his throat when he thinks of it, of a Cheng Xiaoshi older than the one before him (though not much more mature) whose days were unknowingly numbered. Lu Guang stops cooking twice to scrub his hands in the sink at the thought of it.
“It’s no wonder you never get sick, Lu Guang,” Cheng Xiaoshi says as he watches Lu Guang paw at the edge of the sink for their bar of soap. “Surgeons probably wash their hands less often than you.”
Lu Guang pauses, looking at the red, sudsy skin on his hands. He swallows and rinses them off.
The whole cooking process takes about an hour. Lu Guang wonders if he should let it cook longer, but with how famished Cheng Xiaoshi looks after a day of not eating, he’s not sure he wants to wait any longer.
“It’s probably done,” he says, trying to sound sure of himself as he turns off the heat. He looks over at his scrap sheet once more, wondering what ingredients from Qiao Ling’s paper he might have missed in preparing this dish. With Chinese yams and codonopsis root, it should at least help Cheng Xiaoshi’s digestion, thought Lu Guang can’t speak for the taste. He’s about to start rooting through their kitchenette for a clean bowl when a memory hits him. Qiao Ling’s blocky handwriting, a word with several question marks after it. She and Lu Guang giggling at Cheng Xiaoshi’s expense.
It probably won’t make a difference, but before Cheng Xiaoshi can look, Lu Guang grabs their jar of honey that they use for tea and tips it over the pot, dumping a small glob in.
He stirs the soup a few times for it to dissolve, then pulls out a bowl and ladles a large helping of soup into it before pushing it in front of Cheng Xiaoshi.
Cheng Xiaoshi looks at it, then back to Lu Guang, eyebrows pinched up.
“Aren’t you going to pour yourself some? We’re supposed to eat it together.”
Lu Guang could argue that this is Cheng Xiaoshi’s meal. He’s the sick one here. He’s the one who hasn’t eaten all day. But he can’t keep his composure with Cheng Xiaoshi’s brown eyes shining at him like that. Maybe it’s some sort of tradition he and Qiao Ling have. Lu Guang relents and pours a second, albeit less full, bowl.
“Happy?” he asks.
Judging by Cheng Xiaoshi’s smile, he must be. He finally begins eating his soup after that, so Lu Guang takes it as a victory.
He looks down at his own bowl. He has to admit, he is curious. He scoops up a spoonful, trying to get as many bits of vegetable as possible, and eats it. Warmth flows through his chest, same as before, with the earthy flavors of the vegetables complimenting the chicken broth. Even some of the more complex flavors of the traditional Chinese herbs are more muted, making them a little less bitter than last time. It’s not a perfect replication, but hopefully Cheng Xiaoshi enjoys the attempt all the same.
Lu Guang looks up from his bowl to ask Cheng Xiaoshi what he thinks, but the sight of him has Lu Guang stopping in his tracks.
He’s crying.
“Cheng Xiaoshi?” Lu Guang says, unable to disguise how worried he sounds.
Cheng Xiaoshi’s eyes squeeze shut as hot tears drip down his cheeks. He opens them slowly and tries to blink them away, rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hand as he takes another careful bite. But the second he swallows, more tears fall.
“How did you do this?” Cheng Xiaoshi asks, voice thick.
“You can stop if you don’t like it—” Lu Guang tries to tell him.
Cheng Xiaoshi sniffs a little. “It tastes like my mother’s.”
Lu Guang looks down at his bowl and freezes.
This wasn’t a part of the plan.
He was supposed to recreate Qiao Ling’s attempt at this soup, not actually try to make his mother’s recipe. It’s Cheng Xiaoshi and Qiao Ling’s tradition, and now Lu Guang has usurped it and through blind, hasty grocery shopping and an impulsive addition managed to find a combination of ingredients that satisfied Cheng Xiaoshi. Is this going to mess up the timeline? Has Lu Guang somehow tripped up in an even greater way than before, unable to stop himself from smashing this timeline into ruin before he can attempt to find the correct node that will save Cheng Xiaoshi in the future?
He can feel himself falling into another spiral, but when he looks at Cheng Xiaoshi, the ball of anxiety in his gut unravels minutely.
While Lu Guang has been wrestling with another panic attack, Cheng Xiaoshi’s face has broken into a radiant smile. Tears still shimmer at the edges of his eyes as he takes bite after reverent bite, but the joy on his face is enough to stop Lu Guang from losing all composure.
Lu Guang takes another sip of the soup. A soup that tastes like home to Cheng Xiaoshi. When he is sick and miserable, when he craves warmth and care, this is the dish that he longs for. A soup that reminds him of his mother’s love, no matter how distant a memory it is to him now. A dish that Qiao Ling has spent almost a decade trying to make, purely so she could help Cheng Xiaoshi feel precisely like this.
Because what even is the point of all of this if not to make Cheng Xiaoshi happy?
He prays that the timeline will favor him in this one moment, because when he looks at the joy on Cheng Xiaoshi’s face, Lu Guang can’t find any regret left in him.
Cheng Xiaoshi looks to Lu Guang and clears his throat a little.
“You better eat your soup before it gets cold. If you’re not careful, I might eat your bowl too.”
Lu Guang wraps a hand around his bowl protectively, and Cheng Xiaoshi’s laughter chases away all his doubt.
---
“Aghh!! I can’t believe you spilled broth all over it! Lu Guang, I’ve not known you to be so clumsy.”
Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang both look at the soaked sheet of paper, the ink already starting to blot.
“You don’t happen to remember the quantities of all the ingredients you used, do you?” Cheng Xiaoshi asks Lu Guang.
Lu Guang looks at the paper forlornly. “I barely remember what I bought. I was picking through the vegetable section at the market at random.”
There’s barely enough soup in the pot for another full bowl (Cheng Xiaoshi devoured two of them, though Lu Guang forced him to eat slowly), and most of the vegetables had already been eaten, so there isn’t much evidence left for them to pick through.
While the universe seemed to favor Lu Guang in giving him such a convenient out, Lu Guang can’t help but pity Cheng Xiaoshi. He wonders if their destroyed ingredient list will fill him with heartbreak, now that his mother’s healing soup recipe has been washed away.
But Cheng Xiaoshi picks up the remains of the list, smiling good naturedly.
“Ah, it’s alright. I’m sure Qiao Ling still wants to try and recreate the recipe anyway. It would make her sad to discover that you’re such a cooking prodigy on your first try.” He balls up the wet paper and throws it away. “Let’s keep today between us, alright?”
“Are you sure?” Lu Guang asks.
Cheng Xiaoshi nods, still looking happier than he’s been all day. Lu Guang’s heartbeat quickens every time he looks at him. It’s hard to believe the change in Cheng Xiaoshi after just one meal. It could just be that after a full day of not eating, his revitalization has more to do with a full stomach than anything. Or perhaps the ingredients in the soup truly are medicinal. But color has returned to Cheng Xiaoshi’s cheeks once more, and he’s moving with an ease that he hasn’t had since yesterday.
Lu Guang gathers their bowls, washing them in the sink and leaving them on a dishtowel to dry. He sees Cheng Xiaoshi return to the couch instead of going upstairs.
“You should probably go to bed,” Lu Guang tells him, prioritizing responsibility.
“I’ve been sleeping all day!” Cheng Xiaoshi responds indignantly. “Come watch something with me.”
Lu Guang weighs the options of arguing with Cheng Xiaoshi versus doing what he wants. When he looks at Cheng Xiaoshi’s pouting expression, Lu Guang finds himself giving in, yet again. He tells himself it’s only because Cheng Xiaoshi is sick.
“Fine.”
Lu Guang takes out his laptop and pulls up a movie from the other day that they didn’t finish watching. As he’s adjusting the volume on his speakers, Cheng Xiaoshi speaks.
“Hey, Lu Guang?”
Lu Guang turns to face him. “Hm?”
“Thank you.” Cheng Xiaoshi looks at his lap shyly. “For today.”
The earnest admission stops Lu Guang short.
Every moment from today has been one continuous misstep after another. The stress, the anguish, the panic from it all was enough to take years off Lu Guang’s life. Lu Guang has known from the start that his mission to save Cheng Xiaoshi would be difficult, but days like today truly made him question if saving Cheng Xiaoshi was even possible. Lu Guang knows what the future looks like, but he’s more unsure of it than he’s ever been. Keeping the timeline the same long enough to find the critical node that will save Cheng Xiaoshi’s life might be a dream so farfetched that it might not even be worth attempting.
But Lu Guang thinks of the tear-streaked smile after Cheng Xiaoshi took that first bite.
Spending every waking moment agonizing over his next step won’t get him anywhere. Instead, Lu Guang folds up that smile and tucks it into a corner of his mind for safekeeping.
Cheng Xiaoshi thanked him for today.
Maybe that is enough.
Lu Guang offers Cheng Xiaoshi a nod, unable to help how bashful he feels as well. If he opened his mouth to respond, he worries that something far more revealing might tumble out of him. Something about promising to always care for him, to always keep him safe. He settles on a small dip of his chin and hopes it conveys what words can’t.
It only takes a moment longer to set up the movie. Afterwards, Lu Guang sits on his side of the couch. Cheng Xiaoshi sidles up next to him, so close the quilt he’s wrapped in presses into Lu Guang’s side.
Lu Guang pointedly does not look into his eyes when he asks, “Are you feeling well, now?”
“Yes,” Cheng Xiaoshi replies happily.
“And you’re not going to throw up on me?”
“Of course not!”
Lu Guang nods to himself. Then he leans forward to press ‘play.’
He does not tell Cheng Xiaoshi to move. Timeline be damned.
#link click#shi guang dai li ren#lu guang#cheng xiaoshi#shiguang#qiao ling#link click fic#my writing
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Pranks
I love this show so freaking much. After watching the newest episode I really want to cry 😭😭😭
Anyway here’s some tickly fluff to make me feel better so I can cope ❤️
Warnings: None aside from tickling so if that’s not your thing just keep scrolling
Summery: Cheng Xiaoshi has been pulling pranks on his friends. Lu Guang and Qiao Ling attempt to get revenge.
Cheng Xiaoshi was at it again. First it was the prank he pulled on Lu Guang with his tea in the morning. Then it was Qiao Ling who fell victim to his water bucket prank when she arrived to check on them that afternoon.
“What should we do?” Qiao Ling asked, trying to dry off with a towel Lu Guang handed her. “He’s only going to continue these stupid pranks. You know how he gets when he’s being particularly hyper.”
“Yeah I know. But I think I know a way we can get him back so he’ll learn his lesson.”
Qiao Ling tilted her head slightly. “Really? how?”
Lu Guang gave a slight smile, and then filled her in on the details. Qiao Ling then wore herself a mischievous smirk. “Perfect idea Lu Guang. Absolutely brilliant.”
And so they set their plan in motion. That night when Cheng Xiaoshi walked into the shared bedroom between him and Lu Guang, he was confused to see that it was pitch black. He almost couldn’t see a thing. Suddenly he felt a weight knock him to the ground and pin him. “What the-“
The lights turned on.
He saw Lu Guang staring him down, and pinning his arms firmly above his head. Qiao Ling moved to the floor just above his head to join them.
“Qiao Ling hold his wrists for me.”
“Sure thing!” She said, taking control over pinning his wrists.
Cheng Xiaoshi squirmed around, trying to pull his arms down, but no such luck. Qiao Ling had an iron grip.
“G-guhuys dohohon’t plehehease!” He immediately protested, already knowing where this was going.
“Hm? Don’t what exactly, Cheng Xiaoshi?
“Yohohohu knohohow whahat yohohu bahahastard!!!”
“You know what, I was considering having mercy, but after that? I don’t think you deserve it.” Lu Guang said with a slight grin. He began poking at his ribs sporadically. Cheng Xiaoshi bursted into uncontrollable giggles.
“N-nohohoho wahahait plehehease ihihim sohohorryyyy!!!!”
“Begging already?” Qiao Ling asked with a slight giggle, “just how ticklish are you?”
“Veheheheryyyy!!! Stohohohop!!”
“Nah.” Lu Guang deadpanned, and he began squeezing his hips. Cheng Xiaoshi desperately bucked at his hips and burst into cackles. They were quite a sensitive spot for the poor raven head.
“GAHAHAHA NOHOHOHO WHYHYHYYYY?!!!” He screeched through his loud and booming laughter.
“Because you pulled those stupid pranks on us!” Qiao Ling told him. “Did you seriously think we wouldn’t get revenge?”
“BUHUHUT IHIHIHIHIT WHAHAS FUHUNNYYY- AHHAHAHAHA *snort* NOHOHOHO!!!!”
Qiao Ling used one hand to dig into his armpit, making him squeal and let out a series of snorts.
“Are you seriously not going to apologize?” Lu Guang asked with amusement. Both he and Qiao Ling stopped the tickling for a moment, giving Cheng Xiaoshi a moment to breathe.
“Naha-noho I won’t…”
That little shit.
“Dude Cmon you’re literally just asking for it at this point.” Lu Guang shook his head and descended his hand down to his middle, clawing gently at his belly, feeling the abs through his shirt.
The effect was instantaneous. Cheng Xiaoshi arched his back and fell into a hysterical fit of cackles. It was so loud they both winced.
“G-GAHAHA- GAHUHUHYS NONONONO WAHAHAHAHIT PLEHEHAHSE!!!!”
Cheng Xiaoshi filled the room to the brim with shrieks and laughter. His legs kicking behind Lu Guang.
“Just how ticklish is this guy?” Qiao Ling teased lightheartedly with a grin.
“Actually he’s doing pretty well considering that he hasn’t given in yet. And this is a really bad spot on him.” Lu Guang noted, mildly impressed. He even went under his shirt to spider directly along the soft and smooth surface of his belly. This got some more snorts from the victim as he desperately cackled.
“S-STAHAHAP TAHAHAHLKING AHBAOHOHUT MEHEHEHE-“ he was going to protest them talking about him as if he wasn’t there, but his laughter consumed him.
Lu Guang stopped soon so that Cheng Xiaoshi could have a moment to breathe. “Ready to apologize?” Lu Guang asked the hysteric raven head.
Unfortunately, the Raven head was extremely stubborn. “Nohohohot a chahahance…”
“Tsk… You really are asking for it. Guess I have no choice but to take desperate measures…”
Cheng Xiaoshis face turned slightly pale. Qiao Ling wondered what such desperate measures could make him freak out like this. “N-nohoho!! Luhuhu plehehease!!!!” He kicked his legs, sucking in his stomach to only shortly prevent the inevitable as Lu Guang lifted his shirt up and lowered his head.
As soon as his lips touched the surface of his bare belly, Cheng Xiaoshi was done for.
“NONONOHOHOHOHOHOHO LUHUHUHU PLEHEHEHAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!” Cheng Xiaoshi felt every single muscle in his stomach being assaulted, the intense ticklish feeling spreading through his body as he kicked and bucked wildly. It didn’t help that his arms were pinned so it made everything feel so much worse.
“AHAHAHAOHOHKAHAHYYYIHIHMSOHOHRRYYY!!!!!” He finally screamed out through his ticklish cackles, his laughter nearly going silent with hysterics.
The sensation was too much for him to bare any longer.
Lu Guang finally let up but settled to resting his hand threateningly on his belly.
“Come again?” He asked innocently.
“I… I’m sorry…”
“For what?”
“You know damn well what!” Cheng Xiaoshi cried with annoyance.
“Sorry I don’t know what you mean…” Lu Guang twitched his fingers.
“GAH! OHohohkahayyy ihim sohorry for prahanking you.”
Lu Guang smiled in satisfaction. That would do. “Good.”
Qiao Ling and Lu Guang finally released him.
“T-that wahas soho mehean….” Cheng Xiaoshi whined as he curled in on himself into a protective ball, hugging his stomach.
“Well good because what YOU did was mean!” Qiao Ling insisted, poking him in the back, making Cheng Xiaoshi giggle harder as he weakly swatted her hand away.
It wasn’t a moment longer that he suddenly fell asleep.
“Guess we really tired him out.” Qiao Ling said, a soft smile on her face as she watched his face look so calm and peaceful.
Lu Guang wore a slight smile of his own, letting out a huff of a laugh. He almost looked like a little child when he was asleep. It was cute. “Yeah guess so.”
He and Qiao Ling carried him carefully to his bed, tucking him in. How long had it been since the guy had truly slept?
Lu Guang suddenly felt guilty. He put Cheng Xiaoshi under a lot of stress when they did missions. He deserved a nice long rest after everything he he’d been through. He sacrificed so much for the sake of paying off that debt.
Maybe letting him have his fun by pulling pranks wouldn’t exactly be the worst thing. He figured he needed an outlet for the crazy energy he had, as well as a way to lighten the mood with all the terrible things he gets put through. Lu Guang realized that maybe he should be a little more lenient next time.
#sprite🥤#tickling#tickle fic#link click#link click tickling#link click fanfic#link click fic#cheng xiaoshi#lu guang#qiao ling#lee!cheng xiaoshi#ticklish!cheng xiaoshi#ler!lu guang#ler!qiao ling#shiguang daili ren#shiguang#donghua
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Hey there! <3 For your event, may I please ask for Lu Guang with prompt 10 (reader is confessing and he's ok with it)?
Hihi! Omg please, I screeched when I saw your request because I love Lu Guang so much. Thank you so much for requesting! <3
#10: “I think I’m falling in love with you.” “I think I’m okay with that.”
Join Event ➺ Masterlist
You wouldn’t say you were particularly close to Lu Guang but you guys got along well, there was a connection between you two that you couldn’t describe. You knew of him since high school but didn’t get to know him until he started working with Qiao Ling. You would regularly visit the photo studio and that’s how you and Lu Guang became acquainted with each other.
Slowly you guys would have full on conversations with each other and you were able to get a feel of his personality. He was serious, stoic, calm and smart. But deep down he had a soft side to him and it’s what made you realize that you were blossoming feelings for him. The more you saw him and conversed with him the more you developed feelings for him. It was starting to become too much for you and you had to get these feelings off your chest.
The following day you pull Lu Guang out for a chat. You told him you were going to get straight to the point and with how enigmatic that phrase sounds he could only imagine what it was you were going to say. You breathed in a deep breath before you blurted it out, “I think I’m falling in love with you.” “I think I’m okay with that.” Your mouth dropped open at his confession. You were sure you were going to get rejected so hearing that shocked you beyond earth. Soon after you recollected your thoughts your initial shock was replaced with a bright smile.
A silence passed before you spoke up, “So what now?” He pondered for a moment before replying, “Good question, I have no idea.” “Damn we suck at this.” “Is this the part where we kiss?” “Woah there buddy, kissing before the first date?! You’re moving a bit fast there.” “You’ll have to teach me some dating etiquette then.” “I will but you’ll have to take me on a date for me to teach you.” You hinted at him while playfully wiggling your eyebrows.
“Alright, let’s go on a date tomorrow, your choice” he suggested. “Sounds great!” You leaned forwards and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. “That should be good for a start, I’ll see you tomorrow, bye!” You dashed out of the store as Lu Guang stood there shocked as to what just happened. His hand hovers over the spot where you just kissed and he felt the corner of his lips lifting up into a smile. He’s already looking forward to tomorrow.
#yeosatinyngz’s 1 year event#link click#shiguang daili ren#link click fluff#link click x reader#link click imagines#link click scenarios#link click oneshots#lu guang#lu guang x reader#yeosatinyngz#yeosatinyngz requests
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rough dives.
[1,858 words]
It was a particularly rough dive.
Lu Guang used his powers to get a clearer picture of the timeline the client was asking for before coming to Cheng Xiaoshi with the picture they needed to dive, as he normally does, but what the client wanted was not particularly easy to find. Meaning, Lu Guang had to dive into at least 20 pictures himself before pulling Xiaoshi from the darkroom to jump.
The client was looking for clues on her long-lost lover. That much Lu Guang was able to piece together through his own research—that helpful tidbit of information was not given to him before starting on the work. All the client had told Qiao Ling was that she was wanting to find clues as to where her old university roommate had disappeared off to after graduation.
It would have been helpful to have the pictures timestamped. It also would have been helpful to know that it wasn’t right after graduation when her old roommate had disappeared.
Instead, Lu Guang dove into at least 7 pictures alone to piece together when all of them were taken. Then, it was sorting out their last semester living together, the days leading up to graduation, the day of graduation getting ready in their dorm together, their fight a week after…
He had written out the important details he found; he wasn’t an idiot. But the information overload was starting to weigh on his brain.
He was going to need a long nap after this one.
But the work wasn’t over yet.
Lu Guang knocked on the door of the darkroom. “Hey, Cheng Xiaoshi, found the one we need to learn more from. I think there was something the roommate said to her, but the client wasn’t paying enough attention for me to catch it. I also think there was a train ticket in the roommate’s purse that might give us a clue as to where she went.”
The door slid open. Despite it being almost nine in the evening, Xiaoshi was still as peppy as ever. Which really didn’t surprise Lu Guang—his partner did just get done with developing the last of some wedding photos they had shot over the weekend. The smile that greeted Lu Guang eased some of the pounding in his head. He couldn’t help it; if Xiaoshi was happy, it always lifted Lu Guang’s spirits too.
“Alright! Another dive? Its been almost a week and half. You sure you’re good to dive tonight though? I know we just got this client this morning…” Xiaoshi trailed off, letting concern leak into his voice. It made Lu Guang’s mouth twitch into a small smile, against his will.
“Yeah, it’s all good. The quicker we get this done the better, and it shouldn’t be too hard of a dive.” Xiaoshi simply looked at him with that hint of concern behind his eyes for a moment, but eventually stepped out of the dark room and closed the door behind him. “Alright, navigator, I trust you.”
Cheng Xiaoshi always said those words so easily, and Lu Guang always had his breath catch on the honesty they held.
They trailed into the living room, Lu Guang handing the picture over to his partner. “Alright, you know the rules…” he let himself trail off, sending a pointed look at Xiaoshi. The dark-haired man may trust him, but he always seems to need reminding of their rules.
“Yeah, yeah, I know, I only get twelve—” “You only get twelve hours. Follow my lead and change nothing. Lastly, past or future—” “Past or future, let them be. I got this, and you’re by my side as always, my guide.” Xiaoshi winks at him on those last words, clapping his hand on top of Lu Guang’s.
“Idiot.”
--x--
At first, nothing appears to go awry. By all accounts, it’s the smoothest dive they’ve had in a while, especially as Xiaoshi didn’t need to continually be punched in order to obtain the necessary information for their client.
The issue, in fact, didn’t even come from Cheng Xiaoshi, as the recklessly empathetic man is prone to causing.
It was from Lu Guang himself.
First, there was a deep throb deep in Lu Guang’s head. He brushed it off—it wouldn’t be the first time he used his powers with a migraine.
Then, it was the silence.
“Cheng Xiaoshi? I caught what I needed to of that conversation, but I need you to wait before trying to find the train tickets.”
Silence.
“Cheng Xiaoshi? …Xiaoshi! Answer me if you can hear me.”
--x--x--
It wasn’t often that Lu Guang had genuine panic creep into his tone. “Lu Guang? Hello?” The sigh that followed would have sounded exasperated to anyone who didn’t know Lu Guang. But Cheng Xiaoshi knew Lu Guang. Better than anyone. “Hey you went dark on me there for a second, is everything okay?”
The silence returned.
Xiaoshi waited a few more seconds before trying again. “Guang Guang, I know you like to tease, but I do need instruction.” The teasing tone in his voice was mostly for himself—he cannot panic now, not in the middle of a dive, not in the middle of a conversation with the target of the client’s inquiry.
--x--x--
It wasn’t often that Xiaoshi completed a job by himself. In fact, he could really only say he entered a photo by himself once before. But he knew there was only this one chance to use this one photo to get the client’s information. So, he carried on, but only for exactly as long as he needed to.
Lu Guang was not responding. He tried about once a minute to reach out to his partner, each time to no response. He got the train line and the name of the destination that was on the ticket hidden in the roommates’ purse, then did what he has only needed to a few times before.
He pulled himself out of the photo early.
Landing on the couch, he immediately rushed to Lu Guang’s side, where he was slumped on the floor, almost like he was on his way to the kitchen and simply passed out. The panic that Xiaoshi suppressed when he was in the dive resurfaced, tenfold.
He rushed to the white-haired man’s side, dropping to the floor next to him. “Lu Guang, Lu Guang!” He took his partner’s head and maneuvered it into his lap. He checked Lu Guang’s pulse; normal. He watched the rise and fall of the man’s chest; normal. He let out a breath of relief—at least he still had his best friend with him. Now all he had to do was figure out what was wrong with him.
Unconsciously, he started running his fingers through the white locks in his lap while he thought. Lu Guang had absolutely overworked himself that day. He knew it by the extra tired look in his eyes when he had retrieved Cheng Xiaoshi from the dark room. He had been through bouts of fatigue before with his powers, but it had never caused him to outright pass out before. Right?
Or had he simply never noticed?
Lu Guang was always doing what amounted to reconnaissance for their dives the day or two leading up to Xiaoshi entering the photo. Had this happened before? Had Xiaoshi simply overlooked what was happening to his best friend, to his partner?
The guilt started to well up in Xiaoshi. How had he not seen this coming? Why didn’t he push harder for them to wait another day to dive? How many photos had Lu Guang looked through, and why didn’t Xiaoshi notice?
“Hey.”
His thoughts were immediately cut off as he whipped his head back down to the man still in his lap. Whose hair he was still carding through with his fingers. Whose tired eyes were lidded, but open, and focused on him.
“Lu Guang.”
It came out like a blessing, breathless and full of relief. His partner was awake.
The man looked up at him, eyes sharpening. “This isn’t your fault, Xiaoshi. I should have known my limits… no, I do know my limits and I surpassed them anyways. This is not on you.”
Xiaoshi didn’t know if his emotions written all over his face, or if the other man just knew him that well. He had a sneaking suspicion it was the latter. A small smile broke out over his face at the thought. It faded back into a small frown, however, before he pointed out, “I should have paid better attention, Lu Guang. I know you, and I knew you were tired before we dove. I should have realized how it would affect you.” “There was no way for you to have known, idiot. I just need to rest, and I’ll be back and running in no time. And this isn’t an example for you to follow, you know, you shouldn’t test the limitations on your powers either.”
At that, Xiaoshi truly smiled. If Lu Guang was lecturing him, even from the spot he himself passed out at with his head in Cheng Xiaoshi’s lap, that meant he was feeling okay. Shaking his head, he couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him. “You always feel the need to nag, huh? Well, shops closed tomorrow—no objections!—and you can nag all you want while you rest.” Lu Guang made to open his mouth but Xiaoshi covered it with his free hand, only letting the man make a muffled sound of protest in response. “Nuh uh. No objections,” he taunted with a smirk.
Letting his hand still from where it was moving through the white hair, Xiaoshi made to shift his weight to stand. A shadow of disappointment flashed briefly over Lu Guang’s face, so brief if he hadn’t known the man for as long as he did, he would have missed it. But he didn’t. A small grin replaced the smirk on his face, and he ruffled the man’s hair before picking him up, supporting him under his knees and around his torso. Lu Guang all but squawked.
With a laugh, Xiaoshi made his way to the stairs leading to their bedroom with Lu Guang in his arms. “Remember, no objections! You need rest, doctors’ orders.” “You most certainly are not a doctor,” was the only grumbled reply Lu Guang gave as they made their way upstairs. “Maybe not, but you most certainly need rest. And you’re taking the bottom bunk tonight, you don’t need to be climbing a ladder.” Lu Guang wrinkled his nose at the statement. “You haven’t washed your sheets.” “I did them three days ago! I wash them weekly, you know this. What, you can’t handle a night in my clean peasant sheets?” All he got in response was a deadpan stare. Xiaoshi sighed dramatically. “Fine, I’ll replace them with your spare sheets. Then I’ll wash both sets tomorrow. Deal?” A ghost of a smile passed over Lu Guang’s face. “Deal.”
--x--
It was a particularly rough dive.
But they always pick each other up again.
#link click#lu guang#cheng xiaoshi#shiguang#fanfiction#man I love these two#I needed a bit of fluff#so I wrote myself some#praying I portrayed their characters well#characterization is one of my biggest pet peeves#well#ooc characterizations I suppose#but these two deserve a bit of fluff and happiness
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Ah, before I forget. What were your overall thoughts on Link Click? Like, s1 vs s2, favourite characters or arcs, that kind of thing? ^^
Omg!!! I'm so sorry about the wait 😭 I was trying to get all my thoughts together so I can type something coherent here so it's not just me rambling about how amazing the show is LMAO
Link Click spoilers below btw!!!
First off, I just wanted to say the overall mystery??? Executed very well! I was definitely not expecting both Tianchen and Tianxi to have powers (I thought something else was going on like they both swapped places/identities or something 😭), but it makes sense since they're siblings and they're meant to parallel the Shiguang duo! Even in the first season, I assumed it was only going to be one person that was the culprit behind the murders, but the show pleasantly surprised me with that! The siblings themselves were also just pretty tragic omg 😭 that whole flashback sequence with them being the foxes in the story, and Tianxi slowly sees Tianchen go down his dark path was so good. You already saw that post I made about them, but yeah I love tragic and doomed siblings as a trope it's great <3
One of my absolute favorite parts from the whole show tbh is the entirety of Season 1 Episode 11. That was a perfect final episode to end things off on and tease a season 2. Like the nonstop twists they kept pulling??? Like how they first initially present Emma's death as a suicide as a red herring but it turned out to actually be the case is so much more impactful and tragic than just having her be another person who was possessed by Tianchen. That whole scene with her and CXS on the bridge OUGHHH IT BROKE ME 😭 THAT WAS SO WELL DONE!!! The song, combined with the montage of all the people he and Lu Guang helped, him talking her down from ending it all and reaching out his hand to her with the sunshine rising above him...EMOTIONAL DAMAGE FR. Like I knew it wasn't going to end all happily, but the emotional impact was definitely there. And that ending omg — having Qiao Ling, one of the main characters we've gotten attached to and love dearly, be shown to have stabbed Lu Guang was brutal, especially for Cheng Xiaoshi 😭 the angst that came out of that and Qiao Ling feeling guilt for hurting Lu Guang even if it wasn't really her was all really heartbreaking. That whole thing, as well as Qiao Ling knowing what Lu Guang did to save Cheng Xiaoshi's life, really makes their relationship pretty rocky but also interesting!!! I want to see more of their duo together since the show has had plenty focus on Qiao Ling with CXS and CXS with LG, and also angst I want to see them both go through the horrors while CXS is standing there like :D LMAO
I would definitely say that Cheng Xiaoshi is my fave character out of the whole cast. I absolutely adore everyone else don't get me wrong, but I think what makes CXS so special and unique to me is how they made empathy one of his core defining traits. Because he’s lived through so many different lives and experiences, he just has a lot of compassion and understanding for all kinds of different people, and that's pretty admirable! Idk, I don't see that often much, especially in a time travel story of all places, but the premise works here very well along with how CXS is initially characterized as a very easygoing person who wants to help people at his core.
As for other stuff exclusive to season 2, I'm very curious to see what direction they'll go in for season 3 just with the way season 2 ended with that bombshell lol. When a season 3 does roll around, I hope we get more character exploration on the guy who's seemingly the main antagonist, Liu Xiao. I know we got some characterization with him because of his past with Tianchen, but I would love to see more of him and what his plans really are with trying to "bring more parallel lines together". Also Lu Guang betraying his own rules to save Cheng Xiaoshi I don't have anything else to say other than GOOD SHIT!!! I love it when characters are hypocrites I love it when characters in time travel stories break time itself to save the person they love <333 it's like crack to me I swear lol.
Other extra things!!! Soundtrack absolutely amazing, I've been listening to all the ops and eds on spotify lol. Character designs, voice acting (I watched the original Chinese version), and overall animation was amazing. High marks all around for me fr!!! I think personally I enjoy season 1 just a bit more? Only because that final episode was beautiful for me and I loved seeing all the different clients the duo had, but in terms of overall plot, I would put season 2 above season 1.
#thank u for asking Mun!!! and thanks so much for recommending it to me I can’t wait for season 3 <3#asks#Mun
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LCWEEK2023 - DAY SIX
A Shiguang FanFiction
Prompt: Memories
Summary: Some people watch movies when they’re sick; Lu Guang prefers to watch memories of his favourite moments.
Rating: Teen and Up
“Go, work, I’ll be fine.” Lu Guang’s squeaked.
“Do you have enough tea?” Cheng Xiaoshi lifted the thermos on the table by the couch that Lu Guang was currently taking residence upon.
Eyeing the bottle, Lu Guang nodded, inciting another round of coughs.
“Did you take your cough medicine yet?” Cheng Xiaoshi grabbed the bottle, hovering it beside Lu Guang just in case.
“Yes,” Lu Guang responded nasally. “I’m fine - go work so we don’t go broke.”
“Text me if you need anything.” Cheng Xiaoshi pointed at Lu Guang’s phone (which Cheng Xiaoshi made sure was plugged in).
“I’m fine.” Lu Guang smiled, pushing at Cheng Xiaoshi’s leg.
“Fine, I’ll go, I’ll go!” Cheng Xiaoshi threw his hands in the air, pretending to be offended. “Oh - first!”
“Nooo leave me alone!” Lu Guang rasped, but ended with a chuckle as Cheng Xiaoshi bolted full speed towards him.
“I love you.” Cheng Xiaoshi peppered Lu Guang’s face with kisses.
“CHENG XIAOSHI! WHERE ARE YOU?” Qiao Ling yelled from the bottom of the stairs.
With one final kiss, Cheng Xiaoshi raced downstairs.
Even the amused chuckle was sore against Lu Guang’s throat. Thankfully, his boyfriend had stuffed at least three pots of tea into an oversized thermos for him.
There was a bottle of honey on the table, but his teacup was already prepared with a thin layer on the bottom. Smirking, Lu Guang poured the tea into his cup. Cheng Xiaoshi always went above and beyond whenever Lu Guang was sick, it was really adorably obscene.
Sipping on his tea, he waited for the sounds of casual conversation to fall into full swing. Whenever he was sick, he always had a routine. Most of them were all compiled by Cheng Xiaoshi, such as: wear a special pair of jammies, get bundled up on the couch in a soft blanket, take medicine, drink soup, and drink tea. The only part of his list that Cheng Xiaoshi didn’t have an active part in was a secret, a guilty pleasure that Lu Guang hid away from him.
Some people enjoy watching tv when they’re sick, Lu Guang enjoys revisiting some of his favorite memories.
Satisfied with the depth of conversation below, Lu Guang rested his hand on the floor as his head peered under the couch, looking for the missing board. The dark blue edge of the cover stuck out from its hiding place. Smirking, Lu pulled the book out from under the couch.
Lu Guang knew he didn’t get sick often, the layer of dust on his book was empirical proof. Taking one of the tissues, Lu Guang carefully wiped it off (trying his best to avoid a coughing fit).
The book itself was nothing special, hence why Lu Guang carried no qualms in cutting out the center of half the pages. Though he’s certain Cheng Xiaoshi would adore knowing this was a part of Lu Guang’s routine, the secret made it slightly more tantalizing. As well as the fact that Cheng Xiaoshi has little control to not dive into a photo when he sees a good memory, and these were his favorites.
Adjusting in his seat, Lu Guang flipped through pictures, deciding which one to start with.
-
“Why are you taking a picture of me?” Lu Guang leaned over the counter, pulling up his bangs straight.
“Because you look so cute when you’re trying to concentrate!” Cheng Xiaoshi snorted, sliding his phone back into his pocket.
“Shut up.” Lu Guang dabbed the brush into the dye bowl.
“Ugh, that stuff reeks.” Cheng Xiaoshi pinched his nose at the sharp scent of ammonia.
“You don’t have to be here for this, you know?” Lu Guang sighed, tapping the brush against the edge of the bowl.
“Can I help?” Cheng Xiaoshi bent over, needing to get a closer view of the pale blue concoction.
“You want to bleach my hair?” Lu Guang watched Cheng Xiaoshi’s reflection in the mirror. The huge smile that spread across his face was mildly concerning.
“Can I?”
“… can you?” Lu Guang lifted a brow towards him.
“Let me try, what’s the worst that can happen?”
“I’m going to be very upset if I end up bald.”
“What? Hair dye can do that?” Cheng Xiaoshi’s eyes boggled at the threatening cream.
Swishing the idea around in his head, Lu Guang decided to give in. Setting the brush back in its bowl, Lu Guang pinched the gloves off his hands and passed them to Cheng Xiaoshi.
Nervous exhilaration pulsed through Cheng Xiaoshi’s veins as he accepted the gloves. “Sit on the bath mat.” Cheng Xiaoshi instructed as he sat on top of the toilet.
Exhaling, Lu Guang slowly followed directions.
“What? You don’t trust me?” Cheng Xiaoshi chided, knowing full well that, at this moment, Lu Guang did not, in fact, trust him.
“Just get on with it.” Lu Guang crossed his legs on the floor in between Cheng Xiaoshi’s feet.
As a viewer, there were several aspects of Cheng Xiaoshi’s emotions that Lu Guang adored. Easter eggs of moments he never fully appreciated until looking back. Such as Cheng Xiaoshi’s nervous energy as he sectioned out Lu Guang’s hair. So nervous, in fact, that he kept swiping away sweat from his brow. But Cheng Xiaoshi was determined to prove his worth, because he wanted Lu Guang to ask him to do it next time.
“Okay, now what?” Cheng Xiaoshi tapped the thick layer of mud textured hair with his glove.
“Now put on the shower cap.” Lu Guang pointed to the box.
“A shower cap? Oh I’m going to have to get a picture of that.” Cheng Xiaoshi joked as he snapped the cap over Lu Guang’s head.
“The day you do that is the day you die.” The lack of inflection in Lu Guang’s statement warned Cheng Xiaoshi from testing that theory.
“Fine, what now?” Cheng Xiaoshi poked at the cap.
“Now we set a timer and wait.” Lu Guang opened up his phone, starting the countdown.
“What do you want to do while we wait?” The heels of Cheng Xiaoshi’s feet bounced along the floor.
Another interesting aspect, seeing through Cheng Xiaoshi’s eyes, was understanding him on a different level. Comprehending that it was all but physically impossible for him to stay still. That his mind and body were always running a million miles a minute.
“I like to read a book.” Lu Guang rolled his chin along his chest.
“Boring.” Cheng Xiaoshi retorted, poking at the nape of Lu Guang’s neck.
“Hey! Take the gloves off!”
“Oh shit, sorry!” Cheng Xiaoshi turned the gloves inside out and tossed them into the trash can.
“Why don’t you start prepping dinner and I’ll clean this stuff up?” Lu Guang proposed.
Agreeing, Cheng Xiaoshi fled to the kitchen, putting together the ingredients for their noodles.
…
“Is dinner ready yet?” Qiao Ling pranced into the kitchen.
“Who said you were invited?” Cheng Xiaoshi chided, his attention still on the wok before him.
“But it just smells so good Cheng Xiaoshi!” Qiao Ling responded, setting the table for three.
“It does smell good.” Lu Guang wrapped his arms around Cheng Xiaoshi’s waist, his damp hair tickling the back of Cheng Xiaoshi’s neck and shoulders.
“Fine, fine, go sit your ass down.”
Chuckling, Lu Guang made his way to the table with Qiao Ling. Cheng Xiaoshi didn’t listen particularly close to their conversation, but he noticed when they abruptly stopped talking. They both stared at him with their mouths slightly agape.
“What? You haven’t even tried it yet.” Cheng Xiaoshi started portioning out the bowls as Qiao Ling burst into a hysterical laughter. “What?”
Not receiving an answer, Cheng Xiaoshi returned to the kitchen, leaving the wok on the stove to cool off. When he turned around again he noticed that not only had Qiao Ling nearly fell out of her chair, but Lu Guang’s face was red from holding in a laugh.
“WHAT?” Cheng Xiaoshi’s chest started to laugh along with them, still unsure as to why.
Unable to hold it in, Lu Guang let out a low rumble of a laugh, dropping his head to the table.
“You - haha - you guys are so - so cute!” Qiao Ling forced between laughs.
Was it because of the hug Lu Guang had given him while he was cooking? That was pretty normal in the upstairs realm, wasn’t it?
After half a minute passed, Qiao Ling wiped away her tears of joy. “So, you helped Lu Guang bleach his hair hey?”
“Huh? How did you know?” Cheng Xiaoshi scrunched his face, looking back and forth between the pair.
“I think - it’s a good - look,” Lu Guang stifled a laugh between words, holding his hand over his lips.
Dread hitting him like a freight train, Cheng Xiaoshi ran towards the bathroom. Steam filled the window with an old message of ‘I love you’ printed on the mirror. Huffing, Cheng Xiaoshi wiped the mirror clean.
“NOOO!” He shouted, the front of his hair speckled in different shades of yellow and white. “I LOOK LIKE A CHEETAH!”
In the kitchen, the chair scraped against the hardwood as Qiao Ling fell to the floor laughing.
-
Snickering, Lu Guang set the photo down and sipped at his tea. No one had given Cheng Xiaoshi the idea to color the bleached parts black for over a week. He thought he’d be stuck with it until it grew out.
Pouring himself another cup of tea, Lu Guang started looking into the next photo.
-
Determined, Cheng Xiaoshi scraped the furniture across the floor. Normally, Lu Guang would use the excuse of their ‘Landlady’ being upset about damages; but, since Qiao Ling was shoving the table, he lost his last excuse.
“I’ll just watch.” Lu Guang sighed, sitting on the relocated chair. Ever since Cheng Xiaoshi had discovered Tik Tok, he’d obsessed over learning countless dances.
With a mischevious smirk, Qiao Ling blasted the radio. A familiar female voice blasted through the speakers.
Fiddling his fingers, Lu Guang attempted to hide the twitch of his eyebrow. She’d caught him bopping around while listening to this song, his ear buds slightly too loud. She knew his weakness.
“Come on, Lu Guang, it’s easy!” Cheng Xiaoshi started trying out the new dance move, starting with his hands in the air down to his hips.
Chuckling, Lu Guang watched the flick of Cheng Xiaoshi’s hips. How he moved with such ease was mesmerizing.
“You’re doing it wrong!” Qiao Ling readjusted his hands slightly as they moved, quickly falling into a synchronized pair.
Each beat they hit together, the bigger Cheng Xiaoshi’s grin grew.
“You two look ridiculous.” Lu Guang announced with a flat voice and a giant smirk.
“You’re just jealous!” Cheng Xiaoshi added a few extra ‘pops’ in Lu Guang’s direction.
“Lu Guang, look, start with your arms up here.” Qiao Ling started directing him, even though he was still sitting on the chair.
Leering at her, Lu Guang allowed her to treat him as a marionette.
“Get his hips, Cheng Xiaoshi!” Qiao Ling giggled, moving his hands in a roller motion.
Obeying, Cheng Xiaoshi slid on his knees towards the chair. Gripping his fingers through a belt loop on either hip, he poorly manoeuvred Lu Guang to the beat of the song.
It was difficult to maintain a straight face as his best friends fervently attempted to puppet him into a dance.
“See?” Qiao Ling held her hands out, ending her demonstration of the dance move.
Rolling his eyes, Lu Guang slapped his palms on either arm of the chair. “Alright, start the song over.”
Still with his knees on the ground, Cheng Xiaoshi drummed against the floor in elation.
“You’re like a dog wagging his tail.” Lu Guang snorted, pushing himself off the chair.
Lu Guang did not have anywhere near the same coordination as either of them. His long lanky limbs moved off beat and flung much more than intended.
“Here, watch my hips.” Qiao Ling focused on flicking her hips.
Awkwardly, Lu Guang replicated the snapping of her body to the sounds of Cheng Xiaoshi roaring laughter.
After at least half an hour, they finally set up the camera. Still nervous to miss a beat, Lu Guang eyed the other two as his body repeated the new sequence he’d learned.
“Got it!” Qiao Ling hopped in excitement, running over to double check the footage.
Had anyone told Lu Guang this is where he’d be now, he wouldn’t have believed them. Dancing, of course, was something he’d never imagined himself doing. Dancing under the stars, in a warm room, with a family who loved him, seemed like an ever greater myth. A sense of safety and warmth flowed through Lu Guang’s veins. He had to wait longer than most, but he finally found his home.
“Watcha thinking about?” Cheng Xiaoshi nuzzled his nose into Lu Guang’s cheek.
“How absurd that video is.” Lu Guang playfully lied.
“You love it.” Cheng Xiaoshi snickered, pecking at Lu Guang’s face.
“Ewwwwwww!” Qiao Ling feigned disgust. “Stop reminding me how single I am!”
Lu Guang felt Cheng Xiaoshi’s silent laugh as warm breaths against his skin. “Get better, my love.” Cheng Xiaoshi planted a wet kiss on Lu Guang’s jaw.
Before Lu Guang could question Cheng Xiaoshi’s declaration, Cheng Xiaoshi was already pushing off, joining Qiao Ling with the video review.
-
Lu Guang pinched the photo away from himself as he let out a cough. The dry air ripped at his swollen skin. Regaining composure, he studied the photo again.
He’d taken a photo of Cheng Xiaoshi taking a photo of him. They both had their Polaroids out and Cheng Xiaoshi thought it would be cute.
Very suspicious…. Lu Guang shook the photo. He was nearly certain that Cheng Xiaoshi had not originally whispered anything in his ear that night.
Returning the photos to their hiding place, Lu Guang surrendered to sleep. He’d save more photos for later.
-
Once he could properly breath again, Lu Guang set his photo book on the table, waiting for Cheng Xiaoshi to come in. Sitting with his forearms against his knees, he waited to ambush Cheng Xiaoshi.
Distracted, Cheng Xiaoshi stumbled into the room, still finishing whatever was in his mouth.
“Oh, Lu Guang? Are you feeling better?” Cheng Xiaoshi mouthed around his food.
“Recognize this book?” Lu Guang tapped at his ‘secret illness photo box’.
“Aweh!” Cheng Xiaoshi’s shoulders slumped. “Which picture finally gave it away?”
“What?” Lu Guang’s voice fell out before he could stop it. There were over twenty pictures in this box. How many had Cheng Xiaoshi played in?
“Oh, I mean, you found that one.” Cheng Xiaoshi attempted to paint an innocent face over his curling smirk.
“Cheng Xiaoshi…” Lu Guang dropped his face in his hands. What could he even say? It wasn’t as if he was truly mad. Part of him was mildly embarrassed that he’d truly thought he’d kept his box of sentimentally a secret this whole time. But knowing how much effort Cheng Xiaoshi would have needed to go through to cross reference photos to jump in the days he had was nauseatingly adorable.
Cold hands rubbed against Lu Guang’s forehead.
“You still feel a bit hot.” Concerned golden eyes scanned over him. “Lay back down, I’ll make you another tea.” Cheng Xiaoshi grabbed the empty thermos off the ground.
Sniffling, Lu Guang reached for the tissue box. Maybe Cheng Xiaoshi was right, he still wasn’t quite ready for confrontation or coherent thought yet. Throwing the soiled tissue in the bin beside the couch, Lu Guang re-wrapped himself in the blanket. He wasn’t sure how, but nearly everything soft and comforting in their house smelt like Cheng Xiaoshi. Maybe it was a psychological reaction to associate comfort with Cheng Xiaoshi.
Setting down the tea, Cheng Xiaoshi cracked open the jar of vapo rub. Fingering out a glob, he motioned at Lu Guang to unbutton his pajama shirt.
Lu Guang hissed as the cold goo reached his chest, inciting another round of raspy coughs.
Undeterred, Cheng Xiaoshi rubbed in the rest of the medicine. Sticking his finger in the jar again, he dabbed a small amount under Lu Guang’s nostrils. Lu Guang’s eyes shut at his touch, a slight moan released at the soothing of his broken skin.
“You know…” Cheng Xiaoshi trailed as he closed the jar and wiped his fingers. “I have a few photos of cherished memories… I can give you some duplicates… if you’d like…”
Nodding, Lu Guang squirmed around the couch to place his head on Cheng Xiaoshi’s lap. Out of breath from the slight movement, Lu Guang’s voice rasped. “I’d like that.”
Sinking into the couch, Cheng Xiaoshi adjusted to make it as easy as possible for Lu Guang to cuddle into him.
“No jumping - though.” Lu Guang coughed out the shortened sentence.
“Of course not.” The tips of Cheng Xiaoshi’s fingers rolled Lu Guang’s bangs from his face. Switching to a whisper, he added “Can’t do it twice.”
Drained, Lu Guang responded with a disapproving grunt before his body went limp against Cheng Xiaoshi.
“I’ll put my favourite memories in for next time.” Cheng Xiaoshi bent in half to kiss Lu Guang’s sweat beaded hair. “I love you… sleep well…”
Satisfied as Lu Guang’s breaths turned to snores, Cheng Xiaoshi pulled out his video game console. He’d stay with Lu Guang on the couch for as long as he’d let him.
Author’s note:
I originally wanted to write more memories, but unfortunately time constraints took me down 😭
Also, the song they danced to was from the chibi/day in the life series. The dance move I was attempting to describe:
#lcweek2023#tooth rotting fluff#shiguang#shiguang fan fiction#link click#link click fandom#link click fan fiction#Cheng Xiaoshi#Lu Guang#cheng xiaoshi x lu guang#fanfiction#a03#a03 fanfiction#fluff
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TickleTober 2022/Day 04 - Reward
Link Click - Lu Guang x Cheng Xiaoshi
The sound of the bell above the door ringing as another client left the photography studio was the sign for Cheng Xiaoshi to finally let go of that good employee’s facade. The boy groaned tiredly, placing his hand over his neck as he moved his head around.
“We are finally done… If I had to go through that fight one more time, I’d give up!”
“Well, but you didn’t,” Lu Guang replied while organizing a few papers. Turning his head towards his friend’s direction, he smiled fondly at him, “you did well this time.”
The brunette didn’t expect the other to agree so easily with him. Widening his eyes and blinking a few times, Cheng Xiaoshi coughed, taking his gaze away as he scratched the back of his neck.
“Y-yeah, I did,” he bragged, trying to shift the focus to something else as he quickly turned and walked to the living room in the back, dropping his body on the couch, leaning his head on the cushions and letting out an audible sigh.
Lu Guang watched, giving the best of his efforts to hold back some soft chuckles. Cheng Xiaoshi was really that easy to read. He could tell his friend was looking for something else than a simple praise. Right, it wouldn’t fit his persona if just that was enough.
“Hey,” Lu Guang called as he walked to the couch, stopping in front of the other.
“Hm? What is it?”
“I was thinking that maybe we should do something else after completing this job. It’s not like it was an easy mission, especially for you,” Lu Guang explained, taking a seat next to Cheng Xiaoshi as the brunette moved to give him some space.
“Hah? And what do you have in mind?”
“A reward. You deserve one, after all.”
Those words seemed to have sparkled something inside Cheng Xiaoshi. The tired and gloomy look on his face was washed away in a matter of seconds and now all Lu Guang could see was a little boy beaming with excitement and curiosity. So predictable.
“A reward?”
“Mhm, you seemed a little down, so I thought…” Lu Guang said before grabbing the other by his leg and pulling him closer. After quickly getting on top of his legs and moving his hands to Cheng Xiaoshi’s hips, the white-haired boy began to squeeze the spot, massaging the bones around the spot with his thumbs in a circular-like motion.
“Maybe a little tickling would cheer you up.”
The reaction was as explosive as it could be. Cheng Xiaoshi was already a shameless (for most of the cases) extrovert who didn’t really mind being loud. The same applied for his laughter.
With whiny pleas through his streams of giggles, the brunette tugged on Lu Guang’s wrists for his life, nearly as if it was some kind of murder attempt. Maybe the neighbors would think the same.
“LU GUAHAHANG!!” He cackled, throwing his head back as he tried to buckle his hips out of the other’s reach, “noHOHOT THIHIHIS! AhahaHAHah, p-plehEHEAse! ~”
“It’s barely been ten seconds since I started. Besides, you are not really pushing my hands away”, he replied calmly, trying to keep just enough pressure to drive the boy into another fit of hysterical laughter.
“BuhUHUT IT TIHIhicklehehEHES- ahahAHA, t-toOHOhoo m-much!”
“I know it does,” Lu Guang chuckled, scratching the lower sides of his friend as he tried to not overwork a single spot, “but you like it, that’s why it’s a reward.”
Those words easily made Cheng Xiaoshi’s blush ten times worse than before. The brunette could feel as the warmth around his face spread to the tip of his ears and how his limbs grew weaker as he laughed.
It wasn’t a few minutes later when Lu Guang rested his palms over the brunette’s stomach, letting his fingers rest on top of it. He could feel how heavy Cheng Xiaoshi’s breath was, but he could also easily spot the remnescent smile on his face.
“Ahah… y-you- geheez… I thought I was going to die…”
“Now, don’t be so dramatic, you are tough enough for a little ticklin-”
“But…”
“Hm?”
“You didn’t have to stop…” The brunette muttered, covering part of his face with his arm, probably trying to hide the embarrassment.
“Very well… then allow me to spoil you some more.”
A/N: If you guys knew how much I treasure these two. I kid you not, I can’t wait for the next season to come out, I miss them so muchhh! And that’s why they’re the pairing for the 4th day! As always, I hope you enjoyed your reading~
#augtickletober2022#tickletober2022#link click#cheng xiaoshi#lu guang#anime tickling#tickle fic#lee!cheng xiaoshi#ticklish!cheng xiaoshi#ler!lu guang#donghua tickling#shiguang daili ren
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here’s fic 2. lu guang is whipped: the fic (again).
Lu Guang can’t say no to him. And that’s the root of the problem, isn’t it. If he could just tell him “no” (and mean it) and be firm, it would save him so much trouble.
Of course, the real trouble is when he gives in and lets Cheng Xiaoshi go into a picture he really shouldn’t, or agree to a stupid plan, but those were arguably much bigger problems, with much larger consequences, than this current predicament.
No, the current problem was that face, that face that he loved but dare not ever say so, was asking to KISS him, of all things. And he could never say no to Cheng Xiaoshi, not really, but this—this couldn’t be right. A fantasy. A dream, maybe? Lu Guang was prepared to take these feelings to the grave. But this…
“Lu Guang?” Cheng Xiaoshi repeats, looking like a kicked puppy. “You can say no,” he murmurs sheepishly, and oh no, that’s right, Lu Guang hadn’t given him an answer yet. He clears his throat.
“Um. I—Ah. What?” Smooth. Cheng Xiaoshi snorts, at least.
“As eloquent as ever. I asked if I could kiss you.”
“Right, but. Why?” At any other time, Lu Guang would have appreciated the red that creeps up Cheng Xiaoshi’s face, but he’s unfortunately too busy trying to keep his own composure. Cheng Xiaoshi rubs the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact.
“C’mon, you’re really gonna make me say it?” Lu Guang doesn’t answer. Can’t answer, can’t think straight, this is all too much too much too much—
“I thought maybe I liked you before, and then I thought about it more and more and decided that was right, that’s what these feelings are, and I know I just get on your nerves and am a thorn in your side, but—but, blame Qiao Ling! It’s her fault, she said she was sick of hearing me talk about this all the time, she told me I should just tell you, I guess I should have just told you how I feel instead of asking for a kiss, that was dumb huh—” Lu Guang shut him up with a kiss. Damn, if he’d known all this time it was this easy to get him to shut up, they should have been kissing a lot sooner.
When they break away, they’re silent. Cheng Xiaoshi blinks once, twice.
“Lu Guang?” he asks, whispers really, like he’s afraid any louder and he’ll scare him away. As if. As if this isn’t something Lu Guang’s dreamed of. But…well, in his dreams, it’s a lot less embarrassing, somehow. Here, now, in real life, Cheng Xiaoshi is looking at him hesitantly but earnestly, so genuine like…like he likes him or something. And of course Lu Guang loves him, has loved him for a while, but…But to say that out loud…He turns away, feeling the heat on his face.
“…Yeah, you can.” A pause.
“Huh?”
“You asked if you could kiss me. You can, and.” He swallows. “And in the future, you can kiss me too,” he manages. Maybe in the future he can say what he wants to say, can speak to the depths of his feelings. To how he wants to hold and protect Cheng Xiaoshi from harm. How despite everything, despite how he’s had to lie to him and hurt him in the past, he really doesn’t want anything bad to happen to the boy, and just wishes for his happiness.
But for now, that’s all he can manage.
“Lu Guang!” Cheng Xiaoshi exclaims, jumping up and wrapping him in a tight hug. Lu Guang doesn’t resist, and after a beat hugs him back, sighing as if he’s annoyed (it’s pointless, they both know he’s lying). Cheng Xiaoshi is rubbing his head up and down Lu Guang’s cheek, which tickles.
“Hey, cut that out!” he exclaims, trying to stifle his laughter. Cheng Xiaoshi eventually pulls away, looking at Lu Guang with a grin. Lu Guang can’t believe he’s the reason that he’s smiling that wide. Instead of returning it, he rolls his eyes. “Idiot,” he huffs out.
“Yeah, but I’m your idiot now,” Cheng Xiaoshi says, his grin never faltering.
“Always,” Lu Guang replies instantly, without thinking. He should be embarrassed by the admission—he is, but not enough to turn away.
“One more?” Cheng Xiaoshi asks, putting on his puppy dog eyes. Lu Guang lets out another sigh.
“You’re insufferable, you know that?”
“I didn’t hear a no~” he sing-songs. Lu Guang rolls his eyes (again), but it holds no real malice, and they both know that. He offers a small smile.
“One more.”
#text post#link click#shiguang#i know ~ is not a grammatically uuuh. viable thing#and is like#it reminds me of some more poorly written fic#(not to say that all fic that use ~ are badly written or anything but anyway)#BUT LISTEN#it just felt. more pertinent than ending that sentence with a comma#is sing-songs even the right verb#should it just be sings#idk#also idk why my brain wanted to write this in present tense#i never do that#oh well#i feel silly putting my fic out there#i mean at least it's not on a03 but its like#ive read some INCREDIBLE ao3 stuff#and my writing is just. not great compared to that lol#this is just choppy way too many --s and like#i feel like im ok at writing CHARACTERS and DIALOGUE but not like#actual writing writing#like metaphors and descriptive writing and stuff#you don't even know what position these two are in when this fic starts lol#oh well i'll leave it up to you#are you still reading this? hi hope you're having a good day
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this is just something i couldn't fit into the Eyedrops shiguang fic
{i just wanted them to cuddle tbh}
{also written as a script bc why not yk?}
{After the two pull apart, Cheng Xiaoshi leads Lu Guang back to their room. He comes to stop in front of the bunk bed's ladder}
{Lu Guang twitches, catching on to Cheng Xiaoshi's wordless instruction}
Lu Guang, irritated: Xiaoshi. It's my eyes that hurt, not my hands. I'm perfectly capable of climbing a ladder.
Cheng Xiaoshi, cheerily: Of course you are, Lu! But this way, I can make sure you're not going back to work for the night
{Sneaky bastard, Lu Guang thinks. He knows he doesn't have a chance of overpowering Cheng Xiaoshi, not in this state, and going back up to his own bed; Cheng Xiaoshi knows it too. Maybe Lu Guang can just stare him down}
{It doesn't work. Of course it doesn't. Cheng Xiaoshi is as insistent on this as he is about breaking the rules of time travel. Whatever. Lu Guang will just sneak out after he falls asleep.}
{With a sigh, he crawls into his best friend's bed and flops down}
Lu Guang, glowering: Happy?
{His plan horrifically blows itself up as Cheng Xiaoshi crawls in after him.}
{Lu Guang should've expected this, really, after what Cheng Xiaoshi had said about making sure he wouldn't sneak back to work. But-}
{It's a small enough bed for one grown man, let alone two. Even so, Cheng Xiaoshi curls in until Lu Guang's head is settled against his chest and his body is tucked under warm arms like a teddy bear}
Cheng Xiaoshi, humming sleepily: Mhm. Night, Lu...
{He nuzzles his face into Lu Guang's hair, pulling the two impossibly closer. It's far too hot a night for this, they're going to wake up sweaty and gross and all kinds of uncomfortably sore and-}
{Lu Guang can't make himself pull away}
#do y'all prefer the names colored for these things or should i just leave them bolded#i like it colored#but lmk anyway#shiguang#shiguang dailiren#shiguang daili ren#shi guang dai li ren#sgdlr#lu guang#cheng xiaoshi#cheng xiaoshi x lu guang#lu guang x cheng xiaoshi#found family
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this is stupid.
wc: 0.8k | g: enemies to more, fluff, gn!reader | w: none!
The hour is nearing midnight, an hour Lu Guang should definitely not be awake. He sits on the kitchen counter, ignoring the cold that pricks up the material of his sweats as he stares at the landline and scratches his chin out of habit.
"Just give them a call, it's not like anything would go wrong."
He supposes Xiaoshi is right... for once. This is stupid. A call wouldn't hurt, would it? Though, he thinks one with you might make him so tingly it'll give him a cardiac arrest.
His tea has long been turned cold, given how long he'd been contemplating and staring at the phone. It was how he knew you liked; earl gray with warm milk and a spoon of honey. You'd told him that when you'd gone out— his roommates dragged him into it, really— for brunch with him and Xiaoshi and Qiao Ling. He likes to think you told him personally, but he knows not to get his hopes too high.
Lu Guang breathes slow, tickling the back of his hand he'd been covering over his mouth for a while now. He doesn't know how long he'd been like this-- he finds it ridiculous.
This is stupid.
He hops off the counter, the cold of the floor foreign to his feet.
This is very stupid.
He reaches for the landline, tracing a finger down the spine of the handset.
This is very, insanely, stupid.
Lu Guang lifts the phone into his palm and brings it up to his ear. Having left the handset, his fingers now settle to fiddle with the cord, twisting his forefinger into each coil.
This is stupid, but he supposes it's too late to back out now.
Lu Guang dials your number into the landline, head void of thoughts, throat void of sound. Each tone after he presses the corresponding numbers ring in his ear through the handset.
It rings once. Twice. Thrice. A beeping sound follows, then silence.
Of course, what had he expected-
"Hello?" Your voice is quiet, hushed into a groggy whisper. The boy nearly jumps. Hand clawing to the material of his shirt, Lu Guang can't help but pause to render the fact that you, the one person who valued sleep more than everyone— even Xiaoshi— had woken up to pick up his call.
"...Hello? Who is this?"
Of course you hadn't an idea who called. He used the apartment landline, for crying out loud! "Oh, um, I didn't think you'd pick up." A short but evident hum emits, "What brings you to my calling, Lu Guang? Doth thy require my aid at such an ungodly hour?"
As stupid as you sound, Lu Guang can't help but find you cute, clearing his throat with tinted cheeks. "Did I wake you? Sorry,"
"No, actually, I was working on my paper. It seems great minds are restless at midnight." You jest, and he assumes you're settled back into bed hearing the sounds of sheets shuffling. He laughs a little, "It seems we do."
"So, what's up? What's the occasion?"
"Oh, I couldn't sleep, is all. Thought you'd help a little, you never fail to bore me anyway." Teases Lu Guang with the smallest playful tone. The hour is much too late to think straight. "Oh? Lu Guang and jests? Who are you, foe?"
"Sorry, just really tired. 'm probably not thinking straight right now."
"No need to apologize. I like it when you kid. Shows you're at least a bit human." Your word plants a small smile across the boy's lips and he can't help it, but he doesn't mind at this point.
"Could you... could you talk? I just need a little noise right now." Asks Lu Guang. His fingers pull at the cord in a timid manner, probably a tad embarrassed of the request. "I completely respect if you wouldn't be up to it, though, I'm just being stupi-"
"You aren't stupid, Lu Guang. Trust me when I tell you that you're one of the most cunning and intelligent people I've known. Ever."
Lu Guang, stunned, stays silent, the only sign of his presence for you to comprehend being his breathing into the phone. Laying your palm flat out against the skin of your forehead, you seethe, "Sorry, that, uh, came out of nowhere. "
There isn't a doubt in Lu Guang's being when he thinks you're blushing just as much as he is right now, and he grins a little at the thought of your blood-rushed face pressed into a pillow.
"You want me to talk?"
"Yeah, please."
"Okay, mmm, I'll tell you about the fat cat I found some blocks away from campus. I was walking home that day, I distinctly remember it being a really cold and windy day, but I still wanted to have some boba."
Though Lu Guang didn't earn that much sleep that night, he'd learned a lot more about you. Sure, the whole thing was stupid, from calling his supposed campus rival at midnight to actually conversing about things you both genuinely enjoy until the sun had greeted him through the window, but at least he was doing something stupid with you.
a/n: ladies and gents, and non-binary legends, this is my attempt at e2l with lu guang. ahahahahaha T_T
a/n 2: writing this in my hot ass room sweating my balls off im sorry if this sucked
© hirokari, 2022
#♪ mari writes!#lu guang x reader#link click x reader#shiguang daili ren x reader#lu guang imagines#lu guang drabbles#lu guang scenarios#lu guang fluff#link click drabbles#link click imagines#link click#shiguang daili ren scenarios#shiguang daili ren drabbles#shiguang daili ren imagines#link click fluff#shiguang daili ren fluff
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what is your favorite line/section of your sick CXS fic? It is so good and I love when authors can share some of their thoughts!
i feel so spoiled with these messages from you, thank you for being so kind my godd
(aforementioned sickfic)
it's hard to choose favorite lines bc genuinely i do love the whole fic so much. a lot of the time i'm writing off the cuff and it just flows out of me in one or two sittings (it's why i'm a one-shot writer) but this was a story that took me months to complete because of all the planning involved (and absolutely fruitless research into Chinese herbal soups, since literally NONE of that research made it into the fic lmao) and so the whole thing feels really special and different from my other stories just because of how much thought was put into it.
it took a long time, but i adored writing the second half, getting to write the same day over again and try to make it identical while FEELING totally different. having Lu Guang totally in pieces over every little change he accidentally makes to the timeline was mwaa *chef's kiss*
i think my favorite line was what i eventually pulling from to make the summary on AO3
"Lu Guang is so tired. He wishes he could freeze this conversation, this whole day, and go nap for a thousand hours. The stress of it all is sucking the marrow from his bones. He wishes he could do today over again. He doesn’t know if he’d have the strength to do today over again."
idk i just feel like it really encapsulates the struggle Lu Guang goes through in this fic and might literally go through on a day to day basis trying to re-live the timeline. like i'm sure every misstep feeling like something Lu Guang would want to do over, but how many times can he handle that, emotionally? like this day mentally broke him and it's literally the most nothing day. Lu Guang forgot to make one phone call and almost suffered cardiac arrest because of it.
plus its very sweet that Cheng Xiaoshi, sick as a dog and feeling down on himself for being left alone all day, comforts Lu Guang after this moment because he can see Lu Guang is going through like a panic-induced existential crisis and mistakes it for Lu Guang ALSO feeling ill, sweet boy ♥
i also really liked the simplicity of these lines (it includes spoilers so look away if you wanna read the fic first. )
But Lu Guang thinks of the tear-streaked smile after Cheng Xiaoshi took that first bite.
Spending every waking moment agonizing over his next step won’t get him anywhere. Instead, Lu Guang folds up that smile and tucks it into a corner of his mind for safekeeping.
Cheng Xiaoshi thanked him for today.
Maybe that is enough.
that part wasn't in the original draft. these lines are in response to CXS thanking Lu Guang for caring for him and i think i had a bit of prose where LG internally laments that he spent half the day ignoring CXS and only took care of him when it was clear Qiao Ling wasn't going to be able to, so the thanks wasn't really deserved. or something self deprecating like that
i had sent my "final draft" to a friend after revising some bits in the flashback and said "i wanna post it but i feel like i need to mess with the ending still. it feels off" my friend insisted what i had was great but i didn't know if the last line of the fic ("Timeline be damned") felt earned. Lu Guang had been a slave to the timeline for the entirety of the story, allowing him to kind of/sort of say "fuck you" to the timeline for a brief moment felt like it was going against everything i had just established, of how IMPORTANT keeping to the timeline was to Lu Guang for the sake of being able to save Cheng Xiaoshi in the future.
it was my friend that gave me the idea to write a simple thesis line that shows what Lu Guang has learned from this. that disaster is definitely a potential outcome in Lu Guang's crazy plan, but seeing Cheng Xiaoshi at peace is enough to make him want to try. like you said in your comment on the fic, if you went back in time, you'd want to be kinder. those lines are Lu Guang reminding himself that seeing CXS at peace has an emotional effect on Lu Guang as well.
ALSO idk the "fold up his smile and tucks it in his mind" bit is cute okay? it's a very cute sentence and i'm proud i wrote it lol
this is very long so i'm gonna stop rambling but again THANK YOU so much for asking me this and for all your sweet messages. i truly can't get over how wonderful it's been talking about this story with you, it's only made me love it more and i already thought it was my magnum opus lmao
#you: talk about your writing i'd love to hear your thoughts!#me: feels guilty somehow about doing exactly what you asked of me#mykingdomforapen#link click#kelly got an ask
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@heaxrtinparadise continued from "Thank you." "I am sorry."
"Idiot." He almost lovingly states as his gaze goes soft. "Haven't you realized I already forgave you?" Xiaoshi could be reckless, they'd be the first to chide him for that. But in the end, none of this was directly his fault. None of them could have known there would be another player involved, someone else with similar powers and murderous intent. So Lu Guang never blamed everything on Xiaoshi from the start. The only thing that they had been concerned about, was their partner's safety.
They look towards the police officers, seeing them still talking, and Ling still wasn't back. Perhaps he could afford to be a little more sappy while no one was paying attention. He hated himself, sometimes, for being so distant and shy that he couldn't properly express his feelings. But too much had happened, and maybe Xiaoshi was effecting them more than they thought. They take their hand out of Xiaoshi's, running it through the other's hair before gently grasping the back of his head. He pulled his partner closer before planting a kiss on his lips.
They had never really kissed before. On the cheek, on the forehead, sure. But Lu Guang had always shied away from kissing on the lips. Hell, even holding hands was difficult for him and only happened on the rare occasions that they were alone and he got over himself to do so. In hindsight, he was just embarrassed and not ready for their situation to change. He felt comfortable with what they had, what little it was. But after everything that happened, he needed to make sure that Xiaoshi understood how he felt. Who knows when they'd get into a dangerous situation like this again (and Lu Guang had a gut feeling that it would be sooner than they wanted).
They pull away, their face clearly flushed as they glance away and let go of Xiaoshi. Even with the circumstances, it was so damn embarrassing. He was about to turn over and forget it all happened, honestly. But there was still one more thing he needed to say. "I love you." He barely says over a whisper. "We'll get through this, I promise."
#heaxrtinparadise#well i guess i have to officially add him to my muselist now#two replies in and he's already confessed#a world record
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Accusation
Link Click fic 3!!!! Ahhh I’m obsessed with them. I included Qiao Ling once again because she makes this group.
Warnings: This fic contains tickling so if that’s not your thing keep scrolling ❤️
Summery: Lu Guang accuses Cheng Xiaoshi of something. Lu Guang gets a taste of his own medicine. Chaos.
With those two boys around, the shop was in constant chaos. Qiao Ling had just come down the stairs that morning, still rubbing sleep out of her eyes, when she nearly fell over. It was a rushed blur with black hair followed by a blur with white hair.
“QIAO LING SAVE ME!!” Cheng Xiaoshi cried in a high pitched panic. He let out a shriek as Lu Guang nearly caught onto his varsity jacket.
They played cat and mouse around the living room as Lu Guang was hot on the raven heads trails.
Qiao Ling sighed. Although she was annoyed, she couldn’t help the grin on her face. It wasn’t really home unless those two were behaving like cats and dogs. She had to admit it added to the quiet atmosphere of the photo shop.
Soon Cheng Xiaoshi made a break for it up the stairs, and they were soon out of sight. Suddenly the landlady heard a loud thump.
She then grew worried. What was Lu Guang going to do to him? What did Cheng Xiaoshi even do? And what was that thump upstairs?
She suddenly heard an explosion of uncontrolled high pitched cackles.
Qiao Ling then understood immediately what was happening now. She made it up the stairs to see Lu Guang having pinned Cheng Xiaoshi, squeezing and massaging at his hips vigorously.
“Where is my book!!!???” Lu Guang yelled. “IHIHIHI TOHOHLD YOHOHOHU IHIHIHI DOHOHNT KNOHOHOW!!!” Cheng Xiaoshi writhed, pulling uselessly at his wrists.
“BULLSHIT!” And he went for his stomach now, unleashing his most brutal attack yet, making the raven head squeal and his laughter intensify.
Cheng Xiaoshi then noticed Qiao Ling watching from the side. “QIAHAHAO LIHIHING HEHEHEHELP!!!”
She considered this for a moment. If she helped Cheng Xiaoshi, he would be even more in her debt than he already was for her helping him. But if she did help him, Lu Guang might end up going for her next in revenge. But then, Lu Guang wouldn’t possibly attack a women like that, right?
She saw that Cheng Xiaoshi seemed to be really struggling and she started to feel pity for him. She decided she needed the guy alive in order for him to fulfill his debt promise.
From behind, she dug her fingers into Lu Guangs sides and, he bursted into his rare giggles, immediately retracting his hands from Cheng Xiaoshis body reflexively to protect his own. He fell back into Qiao Lings arms as she wiggled her fingers.
In that moment of weakness Cheng Xiaoshi managed to slip free under him and sat on his legs to further pin him down.
“Thanks landlady,” he grinned, “now this can be a little more fair.”
“Ihihidiohohot hohohow ihihihis thihihis fahahair?!” Lu Guang protested, trying to squirm away from Qiao Lings hands.
“Because you know I’m more ticklish than you and that I don’t stand a chance by myself. I need backup to help me out here if I’m going to take you down!”
Cheng Xiaoshi started digging into his hips. “How’d you like that huh? Not so fun when you’re the victim!”
Lu Guang bucked his hips and began laughing hysterically. “NOHOHO PLEHEHEAHSE!!!”
“Aww what’s wrong Lu Guang? Can’t take what you dish out?” Cheng Xiaoshi teased.
“IHIHIHI JUHUHUST WAHAHANT MY BOHOHOHOOK BAHAHAHAHACK!!!”
“And I told you I don’t have it!” Cheng Xiaoshi insisted once more.
“Wait you mean that book? The one I saw next to the coffee table?” Qiao Ling interjected, stopping her fingers.
Cheng Xiaoshi stopped tickling also and looked down at Lu Guang.
Lu Guang looked sheepish now. He had jumped to conclusions.
“Lu Guang…”
“Um.. sorry about that.”
Uh oh… this could get pretty ugly.
“I think this calls for some serious pay back, don’t you think Qiao Ling?”
“W-wait…”
“Yeah you’re right Cheng Xiaoshi.” Qiao Ling grinned, now seriously getting caught up in the playfulness of the situation. She took his arms and grabbed them, holding his wrists above his head
Cheng Xiaoshi then began attacking his worst spot, digging into his top most ribs.
Lu Guang felt as if electricity was being spread all over his body. He convulsed at the intense sensations.
“WAHAHAHAHAIT NOHOHOHO!!!” He threw his head back and became lost in hysterical cackles. He struggled at first but soon became weak and just lay there to take it.
“PLEHEHEHEASE IHIHIM SOHOHOHORRY!!!” He attempted to push his arms away but it was really no use. Cheng Xiaoshi had him good. He also occasionally went under his shirt to get his belly as well. It didn’t help that Qiao Ling was tickling his neck, which made him uncharacteristically squeal and try bringing his shoulders up to attempt to trap her fingers.
Soon his laughter went almost silent and the two noticed he was starting to have a lot of trouble breathing.
They both let him go and he could do nothing but curl in on himself and try to catch his breath.
“Ihihi hahahate yohohu guhuhuys…” He managed through his excess giggles.
“Awe but you love us!” Cheng Xiaoshi teased, poking the white haired boys red flushed cheek.
He was a lot more careful of accusing others from then on.
#sprite🥤#tickling#tickle fic#link click#donghua#cheng xiaoshi#lu guang#qiao ling#shiguang daili ren#ticklish!cheng xiaoshi#lee!cheng xiaoshi#lee!lu guang#ticklish!lu guang#ler!cheng xiaoshi#ler!lu guang#ler!qiao ling#sfw tickling community#sfw tickle fic#sfw tickling#tickle fluff
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