Chapter Text
Xue Yang wishes Song Lan would finally understand that he’s perfectly immune to his death glare. Seriously, it’s getting a bit old. Xue Yang does something Song Lan doesn’t like, Song Lan glares at him, and then Xue Yang has to pretend, for Xiao Xingchen’s sake, that he actually cares about what Song Lan is thinking, even though he absolutely doesn’t, thank you very much.
Today’s misdemeanor was placing his coffee mug directly on the surface of Song Lan’s precious coffee table, a coffee table he’s built himself, because apparently, Song Lan is one of those guys. The DIY guys.
Well, technically, he’s a cabinetmaker, so this is kind of his job, but whatever. It’s not like Xue Yang cares, eh?
Song Lan is still glaring, and so Xue Yang sighs, takes a wooden coaster (also made by that asshole Song Lan) and places his mug on that.
“There,” he says. “Better now, Zichen?”
“How many times do I need to tell you that if you fucking call me Zichen again, I’ll… I’ll…”
“You’ll what, Song Lan?” Xue Yang grins. “Cut out my tongue and feed it to the dogs? Sew my lips shut? Nail me to… Oh, wait. no. Ugh. I don’t want to think about you nailing me, even though we’re talking about the literal kind of nailing here.”
“You’re impossible,” Song Lan snarls, still glaring. Xue Yang follows his gaze and realizes that his feet are also on the precious coffee table, and shit, perhaps Song Lan didn’t really mind the mug… “Take those feet off the table, Xue Yang, or I swear that I will cut them off.”
“Come on, don’t be like that. Where am I supposed to put them, eh?”
“I don’t care, just not anywhere near my coffee table! Are you an animal, Xue Yang?”
“Oh, yes. Just ask Xiao Xingchen. Oh, wait, you don’t need to. I mean, you have seen my marks on his back, haven’t you? The scratch marks, I mean.”
“See? Impossible,” Song Lan growls. “Fucking brat. I swear I’ll never know what Xiao Xingchen sees in you.”
“My glorious sense of humor,” Xue Yang replies promptly, smiling wide. “Something you desperately lack, my dear Song Lan. So hey, don’t worry, the feeling is mutual. I don’t know what he sees in you, either.”
“There’s a lot–”
“Well, apart from that massive cock of yours, all right,” Xue Yang nods. “I mean, I’ve heard it’s massive. Wait. No. That doesn’t make sense, does it? Why would he care about your cock? You’re a bottom. The size of your cock is completely–”
“Oh, good. I can see you’re getting along very nicely, as always,” Xiao Xingchen’s voice says from the doorway, and both Xue Yang and Song Lan turn their heads in that direction.
“Xingchen,” Song Lan says softly and the corners of his lips turn very slightly upwards. He takes a step towards Xiao Xingchen to greet him, but he’s to late.
“Xingxing!” Xue Yang yells, jumps up and promptly runs to throw himself into his lover’s arms. “Hi, honey! How was your day? Would you like me to make you a cup of tea?”
“A-Yang,” Xiao Xingchen smiles. “I told you not to come over before I get back home.”
“But you were supposed to be here ages ago!” Xue Yang whines.
“I know. I’m sorry. The rehearsal took a bit longer than expected. That’s the downside of dating a dancer, my dear.” Xiao Xingchen leans down to gently kiss Xue Yang. Then, ignoring his groan of protest, Xiao Xingchen lets go of him and goes to hug Song Lan.
“If you ever leave me alone with him like this again,” Song Lan mutters, loud enough for Xue Yang to hear, “one of us isn’t going to survive.”
“Zichen,” Xiao Xingchen chuckles.
“I can even tell you which one,” Xue Yang grins. “Right, Zichen?”
“Yes. You,” Song Lan growls. “If you don’t stop calling me–”
“Zichen,” Xiao Xingchen says, silencing him with a kiss. “Enough. Please.”
“Yeah, enough,” Xue Yang smirks.
“A-Yang.”
“Ugh. Fine. I won’t say another word. I’ll be just sitting here–”
“Xue Yang, put those feet down or so help me–”
“Pizza!” Xiao Xingchen yells. “I think we should order some. Right now. For dinner.”
“No. Definitely no pizza,” Song Lan protests. “He always demands the one with pineapple, even though he doesn’t even like it, just because he knows how much I hate it.”
“We can order two.”
“I demand pineapple on both!” Xue Yang announces.
“Well, I demand anchovies on both!”
“Anchovies? Are you trying to fucking kill me, Song Lan?”
“Have been for the past six months, but thank you for finally noticing.”
“Hah! That was a joke! Did you hear it, Xiao Xingchen? A joke!”
Xiao Xingchen runs his fingers through his hair and breathes in, deeply, and then breathes out. In. Out. In. Out.
“Xingchen?” Song Lan frowns.
“Oh, shit, Xingxing, I’m sorry, sweetie, don’t be mad…” Xue Yang murmurs.
“Pizza,” Xiao Xingchen says. “No pineapple. No anchovies. No, Zichen, no salami, either. You will agree on what you want to order. Understood?”
Song Lan nods. Xue Yang rolls his eyes and sighs, but he does the same.
“Even though I’d rather have a burger than pizza,” he says.
Song Lan glares at him once again before turning back to Xiao Xingchen.
“Burger does sound better,” he admits.
“Does it? Great!” Xiao Xingchen beams, his face brightening up. “See? You’ve agreed on something! I’m so proud of you.”
When Xiao Xingchen starts digging in his backpack to find his phone (because yeah, Xiao Xingchen is a guy who simply adores wearing cute tiny backpacks instead of storing his shit in his pockets like a real man – and Xue Yang loves him for that), Song Lan’s eyes narrow and he shoots another deadly glare in Xue Yang’s direction.
Xue Yang simply grins at him, lifting his mug filled with coffee.
“Cheers to that, Song Lan,” he says.
“Brat,” Song Lan murmurs.
Several hours later, just as Song Lan is getting ready for bed (lucky for him, Xue Yang disappeared soon after dinner, claiming he still ha d some work to be done at home, so he unfortunately couln’t stay), Xiao Xingchen sighs and says, “I just wish you and Xue Yang could find a way to get along better .”
“I would get along better with him, Xingchen,” Song Lan sighs in reply. “If he stopped being such an impossible brat who’s still trying to become the only one you love.”
“Nonsense,” Xiao Xingchen says and shakes his head. “A-Yang is not a brat. He’s a little… headstrong, I’ll give you that–”
“A brat,” Song Lan smirks. “Please, Xingchen, stop acting like he’s some innocent kid. He’s an adult, just like we are.”
“I know that, Zichen. I simply can’t see a reason why you need to be so… upset about it.”
“You want to hear my reasons?” Song Lan smirks, pulling his sleeping T-shirt on. “How about the fact that you cheated on me with him, Xingchen, eh? That you spent four months cheating on me, to be just a little more precise? And when I found out, you apologized, all right, but then you had the guts to come to me and ask me to allow him to become a part of our relationship. You asked me to give you my blessing to keep on cheating!”
Xiao Xingchen freezes, gasping for breath. He opens his mouth to speak, staring at Song Lan like a kicked puppy, and then closes it again. He’s on the verge of tears, Song Lan can tell, but he’s trying very hard not to let them fall.
“Fuck,” Song Lan murmurs, closes the distance between them and wraps his arms around Xingchen. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that.”
“But you think it,” Xiao Xingchen sighs. “Zichen–”
“No, I… I really am sorry, Xingchen. Tonight’s been a bit difficult for me, all right? It’s almost like Xue Yang was trying especially hard to be as insufferable as possible. I swear, I really don’t understand what you see in him…”
“He’s kind of sweet, actually. Well, when he wants to be. He’s funny and caring and gentle and…”
Song Lan snorts.
“Gentle? Xue Yang?”
“Yes. Yes, he is, actually!” Xiao Xingchen says, pushing him away. “But for some reason, he doesn’t want you to see that side of him. I wonder why!”
“He probably knows I hate him,” Song Lan shrugs.
“Probably,” Xiao Xingchen mutters and grabs his pillow and a blanket.
“Xingchen,” Song Lan sighs. “You don’t plan to sleep on the couch, do you?”
“I do, actually. Good night, Song Lan.”
“Just because I can’t see this gentle side of the asshole who keeps on trying to steal you away from me? Well, I really am sorry that I don’t like a guy who hasn’t respected me for a single second ever since you decided to bring him into our lives–”
“Stop,” Xiao Xingchen sighs. “Zichen. Please. Just stop. I’m tired. I don’t want to argue today. I don’t want to end up saying something I’d regret. We can talk tomorrow, all right?”
“No. Not all right. You can sleep here with me.”
“I’m not sure I want to, Zichen.”
“Fine. Then I’ll go and sleep on the couch, because this is obviously my fault, as I am the one who can’t fucking stand your trashy boyfriend!”
“See? This is precisely what I’m talking about! You’ve never said a single good thing about A-Yang! Not once! It’s always brat this, trash that… But I love him, Zichen! And I hate it when you talk about him like that!”
“Oh? You mean to tell me he’s ever said at least one good thing about me?”
“Yes. Yes, he has, in fact.”
“Really? What was it?”
Xiao Xingchen shakes his head, turning his back on Song Lan.
“I said good night, Zichen.”
“He hasn’t, then. Right. That’s just great, Xingchen. Now you start lying to me because of him?!”
“I’m not lying. But no matter what I say, you just won’t believe me, so it’s pointless to say anything. Good night, Song Lan.”
He slams the door shut behind him.
Song Lan is very tempted to follow him and argue some more , but Xingchen was right. Both of them might end up saying things they would regret in the morning.
Song Lan turns off the light and goes to bed.
Before he even manages to fall asleep, Xiao Xingchen sneaks into their bed, wraps his arms around Song Lan from behind and buries his face in Song Lan’s hair.
Neither of them says a single word. There’s no need.
Song Lan falls asleep almost immediately.