Work Text:
changsu curses under his breath as he struggles with his cellphone, wallet, earphones, and his coffee. he's already late and lin chen is going to actually rip him a new one if he misses fei liu's match. it's because he's so focused on all of this that he doesn't notice the stranger who catches sight of him, whose face turns oddly emotional, and who rushes up to him. his arm is grabbed even before he knows what's going on and he nearly spills his coffee on himself.
"hey! what's-" changsu is close to tearing right into the stranger for being so rude, but he's startled by wet eyes, an earnest and grieving expression on a handsome face, and a broken voice asking if he's 'xiao shu'.
"do we know each other?" he asks the handsome but sad stranger blankly, but not unkindly. changsu has no idea who the stranger might be, and it sounded like he was asking for a 'xiao shu' but maybe with a stuffy voice it could have been a very hysterical attempt at "xiao su". the handsome stranger looks aghast, but their grip on his arm never loosens as if they're afraid, as if changsu might disappear if they let go.
"are you... aren't you lin shu?" the stranger's voice is smaller now, hesitant, less impassioned, but the undertones of desperation are still there. it makes changsu curious about this lin shu character. perhaps an old lover or a lost family member? changsu wonders what kind of person his doppelganger might be. he shakes his head and gently sets a hand on the stranger's arm after tucking his belongings away into a jacket pocket.
"hey man, i'm sorry i can't help, but i've really got to go. i hope you find the person you're looking for," changsu has to ease the stranger's grip off of his arm. they are unwilling to let go and don't seem convinced that he isn't whoever this lin shu person is. how alike do they look and behave? or how much grief and denial is this person going through to mistake a whole other person for a loved one? when changsu is done snaking his way out of their grasp, he turns to leave and still can't help but be a little worried about the stranger he leaves behind.
they stand in the middle of the street, adrift, looking as though their whole world has been uprooted. he has never seen the kind of devastation he sees now on their face, raw and personal and deep, bare for everyone to pick apart. he can hardly imagine himself being anywhere near halfway genuine to anyone who isn't within his carefully curated group of close friends and here this stranger is, exposed to anyone who might take advantage of their weakness.
he pauses a couple of steps away, the image of the stranger burned in his mind and he turns around again. they are still standing there, watching him, the same odd look from his first glance back again. as the busy streets around them churn back and forth with people, he shouts across 10 paces.
"my name is mei changsu. plum 'mei', long 'chang' and suzhou 'su'."
he doesn't wait for an answer and hurries off towards fei liu's martial arts tournament. it never comes anyway.
unknown:
is this mei changsu, plum 'mei', long 'chang', suzhou 'su'?
jzalliance_mcs:
who is this?
unknown:
i was lin shu's best friend. desolate 'xiao', scenery 'jing', jade 'yan'.