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“There was that one take” Xuning hums, toeing off the hotel slippers before settling down on the bed, back against the bedframe, eyes lazily raking over Ziyu who sits across from him, cross-legged and conflicted.
“Bro, there were so many, you’ve got to be more specific,” Ziyu says, letting out a stiff chuckle, loud whirring of the air conditioning doing little to veil the hammering in his chest.
He throws in the little bro to block out the voice in his head silently screaming, fixated on the drop of water that falls from Xuning’s freshly showered hair, a lithe finger coming up to swipe at it when it slides down the bridge of his nose.
Ziyu realizes belatedly that he’s made a mistake in asking Xuning if he’d been clumsy during the shoot today when he notices the mirth in his gaze, lips slightly quirked at the corner. Ziyu’s mind immediately kicks into overdrive, recalling the several hours they’d spent in the office today, going over the lines, marking all the actions and positions.
Is he talking about the time they were slightly uncoordinated during the initial kisses or the time Xuning had to remind him to breathe in between the more drawn out ones, or worse, maybe the time he let a moan slip when Xuning’s lips wrapped around his ear lobe.
Gosh, he doesn’t want to be reminded of that any time in the foreseeable future. He wishes he could backtrack his question.
As if reading his mind, Xuning gives Ziyu a look; listless, calculating and cute all at once in that strange, disarming way that he manages to encapsulate as his head lolls to the side.
When the silence prolongs and he feels the pinprick of insecurity crawling up its way, Ziyu goes about repeating his words in a roundabout manner, Wu Suo Wei's stubborn character traits leaking into him. It grates at his own skin as he yaps
"I get the feeling that you’re going to drag this out and one year down the line, on a random night, when the behind the scenes videos air, you’ll send me the clipped part of me being awkward on camera and then bully me about it. Or heck, if that’s the part they decide to use, I know the—"
“Oh, that take is definitely not going to make the final cut,” Xuning giggles and Ziyu pauses, eyebrow twitching. He knows Xuning is teasing but he can’t help feeling a bit self-conscious.
“Which one?” Ziyu groans.
“You were leaning in, chasing after Chi’s lips, almost leading it, which was very out of character for Wu Suo Wei, at least given the stage of their relationship at that point.”
Oh.
Well, isn’t that mortifying.
“It almost broke my rhythm,” Xuning adds lightheartedly but Ziyu takes it personally.
He’s usually not too hard on himself—he’s still learning, he’s still finding his footing in acting, but when he’s around others with more experience, it stings a bit.
Whether it’s the high-stakes environment of reality survival shows, where the pressure makes it clear that everyone’s struggle is the same, but some are just better equipped, or in dating, when his emotional immaturity shows and he’s reminded of the time he lost trying to survive, or when he’s on set with an actor who’s effortlessly in control in front of the camera, even in something as daunting as a kiss—he can’t help but feel the competitive edge.
It’s the frustration of knowing his inexperience is showing that has his instinct to prove that he’s just as capable and skilled, kick in.
Impervious to Ziyu’s internal doubts, Xuning rambles on about how he found it rather endearing, eyes turning into crescents as he describes the time he had to subtly push Ziyu’s roaming hands away because his movements were meant to be restricted.
“Sorry,” Ziyu cuts in, scratching the back of his neck.
“Eh?” Xuning stops mid-sentence, head titled, oddly reminiscent of a big, fluffy dog. Ziyu shakes the image out of his mind.
“Sorry, I didn’t realise,” Ziyu mutters, eyes downcast, nails lightly digging into his palms. He doesn’t know why he’s feeling extra sensitive today. Maybe the weariness of being manhandled all day, under the watchful gaze of the crew has taken a toll on his body, making him prone to being grouchy.
If one were to press the pad of their finger against Ziyu’s skin, he wouldn’t be above hissing at them.
Or maybe he just needs a drink. He almost considers grabbing a beer from the mini fridge but decides against it, too lazy to move from the comfort of the bed. Instead he looks up and sighs “I didn’t mean to ruin the flow.”
Realization dawns on Xuning’s face, taking in Ziyu’s slumped shoulders and he scrambles to apologize
“Hey,” he starts, inching closer “I wasn’t criticizing you. I didn’t mean to poke fun...I—”
“It was my first time filming a proper makeout scene, I was a bit nervous and—”
“I know and you did great.” Xuning rests a hand on Ziyu’s thigh, thumb brushing the exposed skin, hoping to placate him.
“Yeah, I got there eventually. If I wasn’t so eager at first, we could have wrapped up the shoot sooner.”
Xuning looks like he wants to argue. Some of the amusement returns to his eyes but he refrains from saying anything else lest Ziyu takes it as another jab.
Ziyu’s words catch up to him and he coughs offhandedly, unwilling to admit, even to himself, that a part of him was just excited to kiss Xuning. As an acting challenge of course, to see how intense they can make it and not because the man is attractive and Ziyu likes having his hands on him or whatever.
He chews on his bottom lip as he feels the fingers on his leg move to and fro in a light caress and lets out a shaky exhale when Xuning lets them hook under his knee. Ziyu wants to lean away, body still wrung up, skin tender to touch but he makes no move.
He likes the attention, he likes the way Xuning instinctively reaches for him when his mood dips, offering quiet comfort. It stirs something deep in Ziyu—a hunger that he doesn’t fully understand.
Instead of confronting it, he pokes a finger into Xuning’s chest with a mock-accusatory glint in his eye “Weren’t you the one who said we should practice later? Doesn’t that mean there’s room to improve? Doesn’t that mean I totally sucked?”
He watches Xuning furrow his eyebrows as he tries to gauge if Ziyu is really bothered or just teasing, playing it up to hear a compliment or two; to earn a flirty comment, to indulge some banter.
“You’re just saying anything now,” Xuning mutters, shaking his head. His hands move slowly, sliding up Ziyu’s legs to rest on his waist, the touch light but purposeful. Ziyu tries to mask the shudder that travels down his spine by doing a little wiggle and goes on to add
“Damn no wonder you were wiping your mouth so violently,” he pouts exaggeratedly. Xuning’s eyes fall on his lips, before they drag back up. Ziyu feels the grip on his night shirt tighten and the faint tingle of Xuning’s nails brushing his sides.
“I told you it was the foundati—”
“I was that bad, huh?”
“Stop,” Xuning reaches forward to cup Ziyu’s face, squishing his cheeks, cutting him off from bellyaching about some made up bullshit and Ziyu does a victory whoop in his head, feeling an odd sense of pride for managing to rile up the otherwise unruffled man in front of him.
Xuning loosens his hold, palms moving to softly cradle the sides of Ziyu’s neck and he doesn’t know what comes over him, but in that moment as Ziyu feels the brush of a thumb against his pulse, he closes his eyes shut, tilts his head back and lets out a fake moan.
There’s a beat of silence before Ziyu hears the spike in Xuning’s breathing. He smirks at that, eyes fluttering open, just in time to catch the look on Xuning’s face, his tongue poking the inside of his cheek as if refraining from letting a curse spill.
Under the warm lighting of the room, Ziyu notices the way Xuning’s ears turn red, an indiscernible expression flitting across his eyes before he pulls away, resorting to his earlier position, legs outstretched, back against the fluffed up pillows.
"Don’t joke like that," Xuning grumbles under his breath and Ziyu can’t tell if he’s talking about the moan or the self-deprecation spiel he was about to venture on prior to that.
Xuning kicks Ziyu’s shin once. Ziyu’s eyes widen and he clicks his tongue when Xuning does it again as if to shake off whatever weird tension had settled between them seconds ago.
Ziyu had taken notice of it—the way Xuning steered the shift between them, guiding their dynamic from awkward to touchy, playful and easy which allowed Ziyu to let his guard down and lean into his more coy side.
Yet any time Ziyu took the reins, threw back a flirtatious line, let his hand drag down Xuning’s chest, teased him just a little, Xuning would take the bait, but only for a bit, or pull away.
Ziyu couldn’t tell if it was because he was flustered, setting a boundary or holding himself back. Still, Ziyu wanted to push, if only to satisfy his own curiosity.
When Xuning moves to kick at his feet again, Ziyu’s hand darts out to grab his ankle and stop him. He drags a nail down the sole of his feet to test if Xuning is ticklish and the resulting sound of his giggle has Ziyu let go immediately, scarred.
As if this was yet another shift shaped over the last two weeks of growing familiar with each other, Xuning slips easily back into conversation, picking up right where they left off.
“Out of all the kissing scenes I’ve filmed, I think this was the most fun I had,” he says, almost like a consolation just in case Ziyu had even the slightest doubts lingering—despite the both of them knowing that he was being dramatic earlier for funsies.
Ziyu can’t help feeling moved by the sentiment, silently cursing Xuning for being so annoyingly handsome and kind. Ugh!
“Same,” he mumbles. Maybe too much fun, Ziyu doesn’t say.
“It wouldn’t have been possible without you.”
Now, Ziyu doesn't have the heart to say yeah, no shit when it's evident that Xuning is still trying to make up for offending him so, to spare the both of them from his adorable and awkward attempts, Ziyu pushes the conversation forward.
“You think in the next scenes, we'll up our game?”
“Of course,” Xuning says without missing a beat, straightening up as he adds “We work well together.”
“Yeah,” Ziyu says, feeling breathless at the earnestness in Xuning’s gaze.
Something about Xuning’s words feel loaded, a bit too much for Ziyu’s brain to fully process so, he defuses the moment the only way he knows how—partly because he’s had enough pretending to be polished when he’s crass at heart so what slips out of his mouth next is honest
“It helps that you're hot.” Ziyu leans back as he says this, resting his weight on his elbows and feeling drunk on the bone-tiredness that settles in. He lets his eyes roam freely down Xuning’s body, words slurring as he adds “Which I’m sure you get a lot.”
Xuning laughs at that, eyes softening, a direct contrast to the weight behind Ziyu’s own.
“Didn’t I say I prefer being complimented for my talent?”
“It helps that you’re a good kisser,” Ziyu shoots back, catching Xuning off-guard whose lips curl shyly before they quirk up, his eyebrows in tow.
“Just good? He asks.
“Greaaattt,” Ziyu drawls, rolling his eyes. “I wonder where you got all that experience from,” he adds. His brain, uncooperative and traitorous, doesn’t register his own words as a rhetorical joke and instead, drags him into a spiral of uninvited thoughts—images of women Xuning has been with in the past.
He pictures them; delicate frames, soft voices. The kind of women who seem effortlessly graceful, who never have to try to be wanted. Ziyu feels another sting of comparison before he can stop it.
Maybe that’s what Xuning sees when he looks at him, maybe that’s why they work well together. Not because Ziyu is well…him, but because he fits some blurred mold of femininity that Xuning is used to wanting, making it easy for him to jokingly call Ziyu a bottom and stereotype their dynamic.
He wonders if Xuning even finds Ziyu attractive...like as a dude.
The shock and sudden lurch in his thoughts makes Ziyu want to throw up but the noise quiets when he hears Xuning’s calm voice filter in.
“I mean it’s not the first time I've kissed a guy,” he admits, as if he were just discussing the weather.
That gets Ziyu to stop overthinking, genuine surprise taking over his face. “Oh?”
“It was just for fun though,” Xuning says simply. There’s the word again. Fun
“For fun, you say, but was it fun for you?” A part of Ziyu wants to slap himself for asking, for not shutting up but he’s never been one to know how. He’s never really regretted his rambling or invasive questions, at least not around Xuning, who always listens.
He indulges Ziyu’s rants and dramatic retellings, whether it’s in between takes or when they’re in the hotel room, chatting over a beer. Ziyu genuinely enjoys getting to know Xuning. He’s so full of contradictions which makes him an interesting person in Ziyu’s life and if he were to ever cross a line, he hopes to be told off.
“It was whatever.” Xuning doesn’t elaborate, which makes Ziyu laugh, unsurprised. Always a man of few words.
Ziyu begs his mind not to link the words and jump to the conclusion that just because Xuning said he kissed a man for fun and called it whatever, but also mentioned the kiss with Ziyu being fun, doesn’t imply that it was whatever.
“How do I compare?” Ziyu asks anyway, wondering where he lands on the scale of fun, 1 being whatever and 10 being, do that again.
Ziyu’s personal scale for kisses ranges from I don’t get the hype to I’m going to bite you, but after what unfolded in the office room today, the scale has tipped into entirely new territory.
All he can think about is how he’s never been kissed like that before and he’s afraid he wants more.
Xuning chuckles, his whole demeanour softening. “You just want me to call you special, don't you?”
“Doesn't hurt,” Ziyu grumbles, looking down and twiddling his fingers.
Xuning kicks his shin again, trying to catch his attention. When Ziyu looks up to glare at him, Xuning sighs
“Come here.”
Ziyu’s heart swoops at the gentle call and he shuffles closer. Upon noticing Ziyu fiddling awkwardly with his hands, Xuning takes them into his own and lets it rest on Ziyu’s lap.
“You’ve been questioning me all night but you never answered my question.” Xuning says, looking up at Ziyu from under his lashes which has his brain short circuit for a second.
“What?”
“I kissed you. How was it for you?”
“I don’t know.”
“Tsk,” Xuning lets go of his hand and Ziyu almost reaches out again but he lets his arms cross over his chest instead and huffs
“It was fun…or whatever.” Ziyu doesn’t realise the pettiness slip but when he does, he thinks he’s kind of funny for saying that.
Xuning seems to think so too, eyes widening, coming to the realization that his words seem to have rubbed Ziyu the wrong way yet again but rather than apologizing this time around and going in circles, he pushes
“And?”
“And…” Ziyu trails off, mind wandering to the numerous takes, all of the sensations returning to his body, recalling the way Wu Suo Wei felt on the receiving end of Chi Cheng’s piercing gaze, ragged breaths warming the side of his face, brushing against his sensitive ears, the heat of his tongue fucking into his mouth, the searing press of lips and the scalding grip on his throat.
Ziyu is struck by the thought of standing on the borderline, where their characters and real selves begin to blur. He wonders whose frantic hands were to be blamed for that. Probably both. He'd mentioned it once—how he couldn’t imagine what it’d be like if they didn’t have to hold back.
The scenes they filmed earlier today play out in his head on loop, leaving him breathless. It must show on his face because Xuning smiles knowingly at him and Ziyu’s eyes drop to his lips as they wrap around the words
“Want to do it again?”
Ziyu snaps out of it. He tries to hold onto his last bits of composure as he rolls his eyes and says “We have to do it again.”
“I know but if the kiss was subpar, then we can start looking for someone else to play Chi Cheng.”
“I told you not to joke about that,” Ziyu punches his arm.
“Why not?”
“Coz you're perfect for Chi Cheng.”
“And perfect for you?” Xuning closes his eyes, puckers his lips and makes kissy noises. Ziyu shakes his head in exasperation and uses the back of his hand to slap Xuning’s mouth. The action causes him to jerk away, hand latching onto Ziyu’s wrist.
“You're such a flirt,” Ziyu groans before pulling his arm back and plopping down on the bed. He curls to the side and hides his face, the heat of it pressing against the coolness of the pillow.
He feels the giggles more than he hears it, soft puffs of air hitting the back of his neck as Xuning snuggles closer to him. He throws an arm around Ziyu’s waist and tugs lightly.
Sure they've gotten close—fleeting brushes, leaning into each other’s space when standing, moments that could still pass as accidental, but lying down like this…it feels different. It’s quieter, more intimate.
It’s not that he’s unfamiliar with this sort of proximity with men but they’ve all been platonic while this has him feeling out of place, because he’s never felt this small in someone’s arms and dare he say, safe. Still, it wouldn’t be like him to not tread with caution.
“I can hear your thoughts, calm down,” Xuning soothes, patting his tummy once, twice, the action oddly reminding him of their initial few days when the sound of their heartbeats would echo in the room whenever they stood close to each other.
Ziyu realizes now that it was both nerves and a quiet, unlabeled attraction, the latter of which is going to take some getting used to.
“Uhm are we...going to sleep?” Ziyu asks, voice sounding alien to his own ears.
“Why, did you have something else in mind?” Ziyu can hear the grin in his words and has the violent urge to put Xuning’s smug face in a blender.
“Shut up,” he grumbles.
“What? I could have meant gaming or something. What's your dirty mind conjuring up?”
Ziyu mutters more unintelligible words, cursing himself for not finding an upper hand in this conversation. Not even an hour ago, he was sure he’d hit the bed as soon as he got done showering but now he feels high-strung, unsure where the night is headed and no quips in his sleeve to tackle Xuning’s leg-pulling.
He thinks the man has finally given it a rest when Xuning speaks up, so soft, Ziyu would have almost missed it if it weren’t for the way the syllables graze his ears.
“I don’t mind.”
“Huh?” Ziyu stiffens in Xuning’s hold, not knowing whether to stop the fingers tracing maddening circles on his waist or guide them underneath his shirt.
“I don’t mind sleeping,” Xuning clarifies.
“Oh.”
“What were you thinking?” Xuning chuckles, clearly amused by Ziyu’s confusion.
“You’re doing this on purpose,” Ziyu groans, flustered. The strange mix of lethargy that tugs at his muscles, coaxing him to melt against Xuning’s arms and the heat from all the subtle teasing leaves him feeling restless, which is just a polite way of saying he’s horny.
He wills himself to calm down, taking in long inhales and breathing out through his nose. A couple of minutes pass, the sound of their shared breaths filling the room and when Ziyu senses Xuning’s hold on his waist loosen, he’s quick to grapple for his attention, not wanting to let the comforting weight slip.
“You know?” He starts, relieved when Xuning’s hand moves sluggishly to rest on Ziyu’s arm instead, thumb brushing against skin.
“Hm?”
“Oh, were you sleeping?”
“No, tell me,” Xuning assures.
Ziyu’s eyes crinkle at the yawn that follows his words and is grateful that Xuning can’t see the smile that crawls up his face. He shakes it away.
“For all the fun you made of me being too excited to kiss you, you were way too fucking eager to unbutton my pants. I don’t think it was in the script to pull my zipper down, you heathen.”
Xuning stiffens, like he’s caught red-handed before his body sags.
“Sorry,” he chuckles, but there’s something regretful in his tone and before Ziyu can question it, Xuning adds “I know we discussed what we’re comfortable with prior to the shoot but I should have still checked with you.”
Ziyu’s eyebrows furrow at that and he turns in Xuning’s hold.
“Hey,” his hand lifts, instinctively reaching to cradle Xuning’s face but it feels too tender, too gay so, instead he lets his palm land in a lighthearted slap across his cheek. “I was just kidding. I didn't bring it up to criticize you.”
Oh, how the tables have turned.
“I know but I still wanted to say sorry,” Xuning nods, like he’s setting a reminder for himself. The bedside lamp casts a gentle glow on Xuning’s eyes, making them gleam, his waterline shimmering with remnants of sleep.
Ziyu sighs, closing his eyes shut. “You’re fucking cute it’s annoying.”
“Some would say it’s endearing.”
“Go to sleep Tian Lei.”
“I was going to, but someone decided to keep the conversation going.”
“You made me lose all my sleep.”
“I tend to have that effect on people.”
“Oh my god, fuck off.”
Xuning laughs and pulls away and the sudden loss of warmth grips Ziyu by the throat. He can’t explain why he’s feeling especially needy tonight. He watches Xuning’s chest move with every breath he takes and waits for it to settle into a steady rhythm before shuffling closer.
He has the urge to hug Xuning to sleep but refrains, choosing to rest his forehead on Xuning’s arm instead. He curls against his side and keeps his hands to himself.
Ten minutes into trying not to toss and turn, Ziyu thinks he hears Xuning say something. He assumes it’s a sleepy murmur into the dark, or just a figment of his imagination, when he hears it again
“You want a good night’s kiss?”
Ziyu lifts his head, eyes adjusting just enough to see Xuning with his eyes closed, his lips curled in a faint smile. Ziyu doesn’t answer right away.
Sensing his hesitation, Xuning turns toward him again, slow and languid, still keeping his eyes shut. It gives Ziyu time to gather what little courage he has left. He’s tired of playing pretend.
When he finally leans in, a soft, surprised laugh brushes against his lips as if Xuning wasn’t expecting him to actually go through with it. He doesn’t pull away and when Ziyu drags his gaze away from Xuning’s mouth and looks up, he finds him already looking down at Ziyu, expectant.
He doesn't know who moves first but when their noses bump gently, Xuning smiles at the contact as if he knew instinctively that it would make Ziyu melt. The actor in him files that for later; something to use in future scenes. The action causes Ziyu’s eyes to flutter shut.
He lets out a long sigh and leans in again, closing the distance between them.
The kiss is nothing like the one they filmed on set earlier. Not cued or choreographed, heated and assertive but just the press of lips, tentative at first, then indulgent.
Ziyu relaxes into it, feeling every bit of tension roll off his shoulders when Xuning’s fingers card through his hair. Ziyu mirrors him, hand tugging at Xuning's soft strands to pull him closer.
Xuning makes a low sound at that, which has heat pool in Ziyu's gut and when he feels nails scratch at his scalp, he arches into the touch.
Xuning’s lips are soft yet insistent against his and the way he angles his head, leaving Ziyu no room to breathe is unlike any kiss he's shared with people in the past. He's unused to being this pliant.
He tries to match the fervour, pulling Xuning’s bottom lip between his teeth, tamping down the urge to bite him. He gasps as he feels Xuning's fingers curl around his neck in a loose hold, pressing lightly every time Ziyu leans in.
Fuck.
When they finally slow down, Ziyu kisses the corner of Xuning’s mouth before letting his lips trail down his jaw. He savours the soft sigh that escapes Xuning before pulling away, dazed.
They stay like that, suspended in time until Xuning gently tugs at his earlobe, drawing a wanton moan from Ziyu. He squirms, bracketing Xuning’s finger between his neck and shoulder and trapping the hand there.
Ziyu knows if Xuning keeps playing with his ear, or if those featherlight touches on his spine continue, he’ll end up doing something reckless.
Kissing is still safe. Kissing they’ve already done but anything beyond that, feels like new territory, and he’s not ready to find out how he’d act if he completely gives in to his urges.
Xuning watches him closely, taking in every detail on his face, even the subtlest twitch of his clenched jaw and hums.
“Good night. Looking forward to kissing you again.”
Upon hearing those words, something in Ziyu’s chest rumbles in contentment and he feels lighter as he jokes
“And unzipping my pants?”
“I think they’ll call me out if I do that again.”
“When have you let that stop you?” Ziyu chuckles.
“You’re right,” Xuning says, dropping another peck on Ziyu's lips, making the little bird in his chest flutter its wings. It feels so natural to entertain this development, like this is just another thing that they do now.
“Oh I forgot to elaborate,” Xuning blurts suddenly. He doesn’t realize he’s startled Ziyu, fingers absently grazing his bottom lip, like he’s trying to let the buzz of their kiss linger. The sight makes Ziyu’s eyes darken with want but he doesn’t let his mind wander. “How you kissed me during that one take.”
“I thought you were not going to bring that up ag—”
“Kiss me like that next time.”
“You mean our next makeout scene?”
“Next scene sure,” Xuning drawls, his tone vague.
“Are you giving me pointers?”
“Hm.”
“Okay, noted. Thanks?” Ziyu may or may not be a little confused but he’ll blame the late-night hours for turning both of their brains into mush, making their conversations loopy. Xuning moves so he’s back to laying on his back, smacks his lips and assumes sleep.
He’s so weird, Ziyu chuckles to himself but the smile quickly falls off his face when Xuning says
“Might also need pointers to keep yourself controlled down there, considering I'm going to be groping you a lot in the coming days.” To emphasize his point, he lets his hand lightly drag against Ziyu where he's slowly but surely filling out, just from a mere kiss.
Xuning doesn’t tease, sounding oddly professional about it but Ziyu is not having any of it, throwing shame out of the window as he throws a leg over Xuning’s thigh.
Xuning instantly switches gears, playing along with Ziyu’s antics.
“Oooh, you want me to fuck it out of your system now?” He asks, nudging the side of his thigh against Ziyu’s clothed cock. “You can use me to get off if you want,” he shrugs.
“Why, getting your hand on my dick too gay for you?” Ziyu asks, but despite his blunt words, his face heats up at the thought of Xuning jerking him off.
“Babe, if you want me to touch you, just use your words.”
Ziyu holds onto his played up bravado, drags a finger down Xuning’s chest and leans in to whisper against his ear “I want you to touch me.”
“Mmm, okay,” Xuning hums, pleased, then changes his mind. “I'm sleepy though.”
“Fuck you,” Ziyu laughs and hikes his leg up higher so he can press his knee against Xuning’s dick causing him to choke mid-yawn.
“Ziyu,” he warns.
“What?” He asks feigning innocence, feeling elated when he notices Xuning grit his teeth and breathe out through his nose, evidently worked up.
There’s no denying that Ziyu has been baiting the guy in his own way, and in the privacy of Xuning’s room—because he hasn’t really let him into his own space—Ziyu allows himself to feel a little smug about his allure, his charm, the very things that have helped him survive in the industry.
Here, he teases Xuning more openly. Unfiltered.
On set, it’s different. He knows if they stumble into certain problems—which is almost inevitable since they’re two men with seemingly healthy sex drives—he’d have to play it off, act aloof, slip into the role of the wide-eyed newbie who is not rotten in the way that he knows he is.
It’s tiring at times but it definitely adds a layer to his dynamic with Xuning.
There are moments wherein Ziyu catches him off-guard, like one second he's all prudish and the next, he's trailing his fingers along the underside of Xuning’s chin before yanking him closer by the back of his neck. He counts those as wins; anything to entertain his strained mind.
Ziyu thinks the months of stress, the nerves of working on this project, his recent breakup with his girlfriend, his interactions with Xuning, the conflicting thoughts of keeping his professional boundaries but also wanting to make the most of their time knowing they might not ever get the chance in the future; all of these mixed up emotions is what pushes him to restlessly press closer, nose at the slope of Xuning’s shoulder and roll his hips experimentally.
His lips part at the momentary rush of relief that floods his body, then he halts.
“What, did you cum already?”
Ziyu slaps Xuning’s torso, snickering at the comment, not knowing why everything the man says has him letting out an unbridled laugh. “I don't think I should…uhm I'll just go to the bathroom, I guess.”
Xuning turns toward him again, trying to get a read on his face.
“Uh, do you want me to…” he trails off, letting the question hang in the air but Ziyu is quick to shut the offer down.
“No. uh...what about you?” He returns, not knowing why he asks in the first place because it’s not like Ziyu had any intention to help out, or did he?
“I rubbed one out in the shower earlier so, I’m good,” Xuning says casually but by this point Ziyu is unfazed and has learnt to take everything he says—especially in this context—with a grain of salt. He loves to witness the more tactless side of Xuning though, and wants to see more of it.
“Fuckin' perv,” Ziyu smacks his arm, no bite to his words.
“Says the dude who just humped me like a dog.” Ziyu slaps a hand over Xuning’s mouth, cutting him off, muffling the snicker that follows. Xuning tries to pull his hand away and they end up rolling around in the sheets, all slow and clumsy with sleep.
It’s more lazy wrestling than anything serious until they finally settle—Xuning curling around Ziyu from behind, one leg draped over him, to keep Ziyu from kicking at him and an arm snug around his waist.
All that roughhousing and Xuning’s hand brushing too close to his waistband isn’t helping Ziyu though.
“If you actually want to help me,” he says, almost in a whisper, "Please say something disappointing to make me think about anything else.”
Despite the grogginess, Xuning is quick with a response
“We have to wake up at six in the morning for the shoot tomorrow.”
Ziyu’s body slumps at the reminder.
“Okay, that kind of worked.”
“We’ll have to kiss, out in the open.” Xuning feels the need to mention and Ziyu senses Xuning’s own dick kick in interest but doesn’t comment on it.
“Well, that definitely killed my boner.”
Xuning lets out an offended sound and tickles Ziyu’s waist before letting his hand fall limp against his side. He leans in to let his lips drag behind Ziyu’s ear before saying
“Don't care. I still look forward to kissing you again.”
Ziyu has no rebuttal to that. He shakes his head and simply basks in the feeling that his co-star is not only easy to get along with, but is unashamedly admitting to the things that Ziyu himself is excited to explore; someone who makes sure their scenes are enjoyable, rooted in genuine comfort and not just approached with clinical precision.
Not everyone gets to say that they’ve had this much fun at work, so for that, he’s grateful.
All the earlier doubts that twisted his stomach and almost dragged the night down, now seem laughable. Whether it’s one take, two or multiple, it doesn’t matter.
If each mistake means another chance to kiss Xuning, then maybe messing up isn’t such a bad thing after all.
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