Work Text:
It was one of those days in which Xu Boyuan visited the Happy Internet Cafe. He didn't know why he kept coming back to this place when he knew that his own guild was waiting for him. There was a feeling that always muddled his thinking whenever Ye Xiu was involved, either as his gaming avatar or as the shameless, sneaky bastard of a Network Manager.
Gazing around the café, Xu Boyuan observed the various members spread out over the lounge area. Bao Rongxing threw a bottle at Tang Rou and she caught it without looking up from her magazine. Luo Ji was talking about stats to Qiao Yifan and the poor kid was listening intently even though his eyes looked for an escape. Xu Boyuan finally looked at Ye Xiu and Su Mucheng. They were standing together, joking and laughing. Their comfort and familiarity with each other reminded Xu Boyuan of his own cousins.
Xu Boyuan recalled how he had always been torn on betraying Lord Grim. Even though Bound Boat had remarked, with blunt honesty, on the fact that the friendship between Blue River and Lord Grim had only existed on his own side, Xu Boyuan couldn't help but feel a sense of camaraderie between him and Lord Grim. Sabotaging the fledgling guild during their Guardian challenge had made Xu Boyuan feel so guilty that he had hesitated to just leave the guild without showing some sign of remorse. Or maybe, a part of him had just yearned to be a part of the team that Lord Grim had put together. Even though they were all a bunch of rookies, they belonged together. And Xu Boyuan wasn't ashamed to admit that he envied that sense of belonging.
He kept his gaze on Ye Xiu, tracing his eyes over Ye Xiu's face, the crinkles by his eyes when he laughed, the curve of his lips when he smiled or smirked, his fingers long and graceful as he brushed aside his hair, his golden eyes that sparkled with mischief and warmth... The eyes that were looking right at him.
Xu Boyuan froze.
Ye Xiu said something to Su Mucheng before walking over to him. He settled by Xu Boyuan's side and looked over the room quietly. A warm smile took over his face. Xu Boyuan couldn't look away from the sight.
"Good thing you came that day," Ye Xiu said, glancing at him. "Even though your hair suffered for your decision."
Xu Boyuan winced remembering how Chen Guo had pulled his hair thinking he was a bald, wanted criminal. He almost jumped out of his skin when a hand touched his hair. Ye Xiu carded his fingers through Xu Boyuan's hair, each movement creating goosebumps on his arms.
"I really do like your hair. It would have been a shame if something had happened to it," Ye Xiu said, almost as though it was an afterthought. He removed his hand slowly, sliding it by Xu Boyuan's nape, his thumb brushing a flushed cheek, passing over the thundering pulse in his neck and caressing the bobbing Adam's apple as Xu Boyuan swallowed harshly.
Ye Xiu hummed lowly and gave a casual smirk, in contrast to the oddly intense look in his eyes.
Xu Boyuan couldn't look away and nor could he prevent his gaze from catching on the pale pink lips that were shining from the lip balm dabbed on it. He wondered, hysterically, if Ye Xiu used cherry or strawberry lip balm.
The moment was broken when Wei Chen shouted something derogatory at Ye Xiu.
Xu Boyuan closed his eyes and tried to remember how to breathe.
"You are Blue River, aren't you?" Yu Wenzhou asked, a polite smile on his face.
Huang Shaotian, standing next to him, perked up. "Xu Boyuan? Blue Brook Guild?"
Xu Boyuan blinked.
"Ah, yes. Is there any problem?" he said, confused.
"Problem? No, no. No problem at all. I was just curious about you. Your skills as Guild Leader is very good. And your fighting skills is good too. Old Ye was quite generous with his compliments about you, you know. And getting compliments from that bastard is harder than pulling teeth. So I'm curious as to what you did to achieve that. Let me guess, did he seduce you? Did you seduce him? Or maybe-"
Huang Shaotian's monologue cut off when Yu Wenzhou placed a hand on his shoulder. Xu Boyuan felt like he had just survived getting hit by a tornado.
"You are doing well," Yu Wenzhou smiled. "If you could do something about Ye Xiu, it would be much appreciated."
With a meaningful glance, the Captain and Vice Captain of Blue Rain wandered away.
'Do something about Ye Xiu? Do they expect me to kill him? Or maybe seriously maim him? I didn't think that they hated him??? So, why this sudden query and request?? Or was it an order? What exactly am I supposed to do to Ye Xiu?'
Needless to say, Xu Boyuan walked away from that encounter with more questions than answers.
Ye Xiu was a tactile person but not too much tactile, Xu Boyuan noticed. Oh, he patted people on the back in encouragement, placed his hand on their shoulders, held them by their arms and even hugged them when needed. But most of his physical interactions were usually when the other person was in need of comfort or reassurance.
That said, Xu Boyuan wasn't sure what sort of expression his face was making quite often that Ye Xiu always found some way to touch him. At first it was the usual pats on the back for a job well done, then it was the hands clasping his shoulders (the first time Ye Xiu had done this, Xu Boyuan had been sitting in a chair. Ye Xiu had pulled the chair away from the desk, leaned over the still-sitting Xu Boyuan and had placed his hands on his shoulders, holding him in place. Whatever Ye Xiu had then said didn't penetrate the white noise that filled Xu Boyuan's head at that act. Long after Ye Xiu had left, Xu Boyuan had to take quite a few minutes before he was able to stand without staggering to the floor on his weak knees), then came the hugs (Xu Boyuan would be lying if he said he wasn't shocked the first time Ye Xiu pulled him into a loose hug. By the fifth time, Xu Boyuan had to make a conscious effort to not sink into the warm embrace. He despaired because even Ye Xiu's hugs were heavenly. Was there anything that man couldn't do well?) and now, it was the hand holding.
Xu Boyuan was on a call with one of his guild members. He jumped (he's observing a pattern here) when a hand slotted into place with his own. He trailed off mid-sentence when he saw Ye Xiu standing beside him, calmly looking at his phone, radiating a sense of smugness that Xu Boyuan had once observed on a tabby cat that had stealthily consumed a large bowl of cream.
Xu Boyuan wasn't sure how to react. On one hand, his mind was screeching like a possessed vulture that Ye Xiu was holding his hand, and on the other hand, Ye Xiu wasn't behaving like this was a big deal and Xu Boyuan didn't want to make this seem like a big deal and- oh he was still on the phone.
"Yes, yes, I'll talk about this in the meeting. Now go finish the raid," Xu Boyuan said before ending the call.
"Good, you're done," Ye Xiu remarked. He then held his hand tighter and tugged him along to wherever it was that they were going.
Xu Boyuan didn't see Su Mucheng giving Ye Xiu a thumbs up, nor did he see An Wenyi and Qiao Yifan stifling their laughter at the stunned look on his face. No, Xu Boyuan was more focused on the warmth of Ye Xiu's hand and the dawning realisation that oh no, this is more than a mere crush.
Xu Boyuan was doomed.
Xu Boyuan was not avoiding Ye Xiu. Honest, he was not!
He was holed up in his office because he had work to do. He had been spending too much time with Team Happy when he should have been focusing on his own guild. That's all. This decision had nothing at all to do with Ye Xiu and his stupid hands and stupid face. Not at all.
Xu Boyuan wished that he could sound convincing atleast to himself.
"Hey, Blue River, you have a visitor," Bound Boat peeked his head in and waggled his eyebrows.
"Huh? Who?"
"It's Lord Grim."
Xu Boyuan shot up from his seat and stumbled. Bound Boat hurried to his side but paused when Xu Boyuan dropped to his knees and crawled under his desk instead.
"Uh, Blue River?"
"I'm not here," Xu Boyuan hissed out. "Tell Ye Xiu I'm not here."
The heavy judgement from Bound Boat was palpable.
"Right... So, I'll just-"
"Stop hiding and come out, already," Ye Xiu said, strolling into the office like he owned it.
Xu Boyuan jumped, startled, and hit his head on the desk top. Cursing, he clambered out from his hiding place.
"I wasn't hiding," Xu Boyuan said, scowling. "I was just checking the wires."
Bound Boat raised an unimpressed eyebrow and then, glancing between Ye Xiu and Xu Boyuan, beat a hasty retreat. A vaguely apologetic smile later, he was gone, closing the door behind him.
Xu Boyuan fumbled for something on his desk and found a tablet. Grasping it as though it was a lifeline, he started skimming the reports on it, his entire awareness focused on the man who stood but a few feet away.
"Why are you here anyway?" Xu Boyuan asked.
"There were some things I needed to do," Ye Xiu said, vaguely, sauntering over to Xu Boyuan's side. He peeked at the reports displayed on the tablet and made a considering noise.
"Your guild really is hopeless without you," Ye Xiu said. He took the tablet from Xu Boyuan's nerveless fingers, turned it around and kept it the right side up in Xu Boyuan's hold.
Xu Boyuan closed his eyes, mortified. Where was an earthquake when you needed one?
"I haven't visited this city a lot. Take me out to lunch," Ye Xiu said, leaning against the desk.
"I have work to do," Xu Boyuan protested. It was a very weak defense and both of them knew it.
Ye Xiu just looked at him with a half-smile. A glimmer of self-satisfied victory was obvious.
Xu Boyuan huffed out a laugh.
"I suppose I'll be paying?"
Ye Xiu grinned.
"I'll pay next time," he said, winking.
Xu Boyuan wasn't sure how they ended up in an alleyway, kissing like their lives depended on it. He was pretty sure they had been walking with the rest of the team after a team dinner. But somehow, in the chaos of the revelry and laughter, Ye Xiu had tugged at Xu Boyuan's wrist and he had followed him.
And now there they were, Xu Boyuan pinned to the wall with Ye Xiu pressed up against him. Ye Xiu's hands were in his hair, tilting his head as he nipped Xu Boyuan's lips and soothed it with his tongue. He glided one hand down, sliding it along Xu Boyuan's arm, interlaced their fingers and brought it up to the side of his head. His other hand he brought it to Xu Boyuan's lower back and pressed himself even closer.
Their ragged breathing sounded loud to Xu Boyuan's oversensitive ears. He wondered if Ye Xiu could hear his heart thundering in his chest.
They broke off reluctantly when oxygen became a concern.
A low whimper escaped Xu Boyuan as his head spun. He would have felt self-conscious about how dizzy Ye Xiu made him feel, how out of control he was, greedy for more (more of his hands, his kisses, his smiles, his laughter, more of everything Ye Xiu) if it wasn't for the way Ye Xiu looked - debauched, hair a mess, his lips a ravaged red, cheeks flushed and his usually golden-brown eyes now blown wide with lust.
Xu Boyuan brought his free hand to Ye Xiu's nape and pressed eagerly, bringing him closer. Ye Xiu was too far away. He wasn't done yet.
Ye Xiu's lips curved against Xu Boyuan's own.
"Shut up," Xu Boyuan mumbled, nudging Ye Xiu into place so he could capture his lips again.
Ye Xiu let out a laugh. "I didn't say anything."
"You were thinking it," Xu Boyuan said, trailing his lips down to Ye Xiu's throat. He nipped at the side, felt Ye Xiu swallow, and sucked a mark.
"Xu Boyuan," Ye Xiu's voice cracked. Xu Boyuan smirked.
In a sudden movement, Ye Xiu cupped his chin and tilted his face up to give one of his heady kisses.
Xu Boyuan wasn't sure how he had ever caught Ye Xiu's attention. But he wouldn't give this up, give Ye Xiu up, for all the rare materials in Glory. And looking at the tender yet heated look in Ye Xiu's eyes, Xu Boyuan knew that Ye Xiu felt the same.
"My eyes!"
"Senior, please!"
"Ye Xiu, you shameless bastard! You corrupted Xu Boyuan!"
The shrieks and shouts indicated that the team had found them. Ye Xiu laughed as Xu Boyuan hid his burning face in Ye Xiu's neck.
Xu Boyuan recalled that sense of envy he had felt, once upon a time, on seeing the team members of Happy together. Now, experiencing the teasing and gentle ribbing of the same team members, his friends, with Ye Xiu's arms wrapped around him, all Xu Boyuan could feel was contentment and that once-elusive sense of belonging.