Chapter Text
Feng Xin's ragged breathing hammered in his chest, his sweaty hands clutching his knee pads in an attempt to regulate his breathing and uselessly relieve the heat burning his whole body, even while wearing his thermal playing gear. When he straightened up after a few seconds, his eyes began to sting from the sweat running down his forehead. Wiping the sweat away with the back of his hand, he saw the rest of the team approaching and heading to the locker room, ready to clean up after a heavy practice.
It was two extensive hours of training, which left no room for slacking off, as the games were close to happening. You could say that the coach was demanding a lot from young people at their peak of 18 years, but with competitions like this, nothing could be taken lightly. Practices were done religiously before classes, a warm-up that the coach found relevant and very important for the bones.
"Coach! Has the committee announced the details yet?" Feng Xin approached the coach, seeing him grumbling about something on his phone. The older man, with slight glimpses of gray hair, snorted and kept walking without looking at the young man.
"I already checked on that today, Feng Xin, don't test my patience." Feng Xin held back a laugh, seeing how the grumpy man aggressively typed with one finger on his cell phone, angrily tapping the keys. His tone wasn't exactly reprimanding, and Feng Xin was already used to this temper.
The truth was that Feng Xin couldn't contain his anxiety; his whole life had been planned for this. Since he was very young, everything around him was about this sport, his house filled with the image his father had as a former player, and the dream his late older brother had; the world around him was summed up by this. As expected, a great burden of responsibility fell on him regarding the decision of this game, whether from his family or even friends.
"Hey, Feng Xin!" When Feng Xin finally decided to spare the coach any more questions, he looked ahead, seeing his friend and teammate Pei Ming waving at him.
Leaving the coach behind, he walked quickly to the locker room, following his friend. They didn't take long to undress; it was completely normal among teammates, everyone acted without caring as they cleaned up to put on their school clothes.
"Dude, I can't believe she stood me up again." Pei Ming was talking to Feng Xin over the shower divider while scrubbing his body; all Feng Xin could see was from his chest up. The tanned friend let out a little laugh as he turned off the shower, wrapping the towel around his waist.
"Ling Wen? Just give up, she'll never give you a chance." Feng Xin leaned over to grab the other small towel, perfectly folded on the bench. While drying his hair, he turned to his friend, who was stepping out of the shower with the towel on his waist and sitting on the bench.
"No, I mean, I'm sure I'll get her soon." Pei Ming had such a confident look on his face that Feng Xin almost believed him, if he hadn't known that scoundrel since elementary school.
When he finally managed to dry his hair enough to stop the drips, Feng Xin finally dried his body and started to get dressed. He held his underwear while looking at some other teammates who were also dressing.
"Look who it is: Pei Ming, the high school scoundrel who can't manage to screw a girl." Feng Xin smiled mischievously, purposely raising his voice so the other colleagues could hear; everyone let out a little laugh, receiving a snort from Pei Ming.
"You talk as if it were easy, I want to see you deal with that demanding girl." Pei Ming rolled his eyes as he stood up, pulling his own underwear from his locker and dressing lazily.
"Demanding girls are easy to please, you just need a little charm." Feng Xin leaned toward his friend and kept his hands straight, a little distance from each other, hinting at the "size" of his private parts.
"Haha, funny guy." Pei Ming shook his head, laughing at the mean comments. "It's the pot calling the kettle black, you haven't screwed anyone in five days, what, did you run out of schedule?" Pei Ming narrowed his eyes at Feng Xin, who was finishing putting on his pants.
"My schedule never ends, I was just taking a break because of practice." Feng Xin said indifferently as he zipped up his pants, approached the small mirror near the lockers, and straightened the short, unruly strands of his hair.
"Oh yeah? So that means you could pick up anyone in school, right?" Pei Ming crossed his arms and flashed a challenging smile at his friend, who looked at him with curiosity.
"Sure, tell me who, and I'll tell you the next day." Feng Xin tossed the damp towel still in his hand toward Pei Ming, who caught it and made a face.
"Should we bet, then?" Pei Ming loved these little games; it wasn't the first time they had bet on something like this. "I'll choose someone for you to sleep with, betting your spot as quarterback." Pei Ming stretched out his hand toward him, opening the bet.
Feng Xin's eyes gleamed for milliseconds. He knew he couldn't compete with Pei Ming when all the coach saw was his friend as quarterback, even though Feng Xin tried his best and gave his soul to prove his worth. He didn't take credit away from Pei Ming, of course, but he knew that some of this influence came from Pei Ming's extremely rich and elite parents. But, if it were Pei Ming who was giving up the position and nominating Feng Xin, the coach would certainly accept the change.
"I'm in, but don't take too long." Feng Xin leaned in to shake his friend's hand, who nodded, a playful and malicious smile running between his white teeth.
"You got it, I'll text you." That was all Feng Xin heard before leaving the locker room, giving a brief wave to Pei Ming and the scattered guys who were still changing.
Feng Xin didn't really need to worry about it. For him, the bet was already won, without him even knowing who Pei Ming would choose. He and Pei Ming always competed over who was the biggest catch and the most popular in high school, and Feng Xin always managed to beat him. It wasn't very difficult; he really was breathtaking. Perhaps it was his genetics, but his well-defined body was a highlight among the other students, even his teammates on the football team. Even if his brain was a bit limited, he managed to fill that void with his strong biceps, the tanned skin that shone beautifully in the sun, and his golden eyes that stood out when they appeared through the short brown strands of his hair.
When the school alarm rang, he rolled his eyes and walked lazily to the classroom, stopping briefly at his locker just to grab his notebook and a pen, not that he would actually use them. Passing through the door, he returned a few smiles from some girls who sat right at the beginning of the rows; they admired how Feng Xin had just come from practice and the very evident perfume that subtly lingered in the air where he passed, tracing an imaginary line to the chair placed near the window, further back in the room.
While the professor talked about some things that would be on the test at the end of the month, Feng Xin looked bored out the window, watching a teacher give orders to some younger students in the physical education class, seeing them running disorderly around the field. He rested his chin on his hand while his head wandered through various subjects, none of them actually being the class. Seeing those elementary school students gave him an unfamiliar nostalgia; his mind got lost in some memories he didn't like to recall.
When he felt his phone vibrating, he finally snapped out of the trance. His face lifted from his hand and he briefly looked at the professor before lowering his head, seeing him distracted while writing on the board. Taking his phone out of his pocket, he unlocked it and looked at the message; it was Pei Ming.
"Mu Qing, that will be your target."
Feng Xin furrowed his eyebrows, confused. Mu Qing, he had heard that name somewhere, but he was never really interested in knowing more details; what girl was this?
"I don't care if it's a guy, it will be a delicious challenge for you, right?"
When Feng Xin read the other message, his eyes widened slightly. A guy? Pei Ming was certainly making fun of him. He tilted his head and looked back, where he knew his friend would be, and gave him a furious look.
Pei Ming stared back at him, smiling as he chewed on a pen. He lifted his other hand from the desk, just to point at the young man sitting a little further ahead of him.
Feng Xin followed the direction of his finger and saw the boy talking to another young man, both very focused on some notebook notes. He examined Mu Qing up and down, trying to think what kind of mess Pei Ming had gotten him into. I mean, Mu Qing didn't look too bad, at least in appearance. He had long hair tied in a high ponytail, his skin looked so pale that Feng Xin highly doubted he actually got any sun. His long eyelashes and dark eyes stood out on his face; even his slightly red lips - perhaps from some friction, bites from slight anxiety - seemed to harmonize with his whole cold and reserved expression.
He felt the phone vibrate again in his hand, his eyes shifting to the still-lit screen.
"What do you say? Are you giving up?"
Feng Xin blinked a few times, looking at the message. He had never been out with a boy, nor did he know how that was possible. Sure, he knew how it worked, he had even seen Pei Ming glued to some guys, but he had never thought deeply about it.
It wasn't that Feng Xin hated the idea or anything, but he never imagined himself in bed with a guy, either giving or receiving. The image of a dishevelled girl, smeared makeup, with angelic moans and ample breasts was much better than that. Either way, he couldn't lose this bet, even if it meant sleeping with a guy. His position in the game was much more important, and after all, it was just one night; he would discard it afterwards, just as he did with any other girl.
"No, I'll do it, the bet is still on."
After class ended, Feng Xin met up with Pei Ming again, walking towards the cafeteria. They were just talking as they waited in line, grabbed their bowls of food, and walked to the team table. When Feng Xin sat down and started eating, he felt a poke.
"Hey, stud, your guy is right there." Pei Ming, who was sitting across from him, pointed towards a table further behind Feng Xin, making him turn his head in that direction without any shame.
Feng Xin stared at how Mu Qing seemed attentive to some books spread around him on the table, despite the bowl of food being slightly farther away, untouched. Then, Mu Qing lifted his face when he heard his friend calling and, for a second, Feng Xin thought he was staring at him.
If you squinted a little, maybe Mu Qing would even be mistaken for a girl, perhaps if he wore feminine-looking clothes. His body was not muscular at all, and he had a thin waist even for an ordinary girl, not to mention how his hands seemed small compared to other boys, his fingers thin and delicate.
He observed Mu Qing's expressions as if he were a great critic. Mu Qing didn't express much; he slightly contracted his face, seeming to talk about a stressful subject, and snorted every time the friend across from him waved his arms, gesticulating excitedly about something. When he rolled his eyes at his friend and turned back to his books, his fringe almost completely hid his lowered face, concentrated on his notes. Feng Xin felt a slight discomfort; his head was already threatening to pound, imagining how much work it would be to get to that guy.
"What do you say? I made a good choice, didn't I?" Pei Ming grabbed his friend's attention, taking a bite of the unsalted chicken in his bowl, not before flashing a proud smile at the other.
"Why, specifically, him?" Feng Xin turned his face back and leaned in, resuming his meal. He noticed that the other teammates around knew about this conversation, but no one would dare tell people outside the team about the bet.
"Well, because he seems quite difficult to deal with, don't you think?" Pei Ming wiped his mouth with a napkin while observing Mu Qing from afar. "And I heard he likes boys, it's practically an easy win for you."
"Of course he likes boys, no girl would like a guy like that." Feng Xin rolled his eyes, throwing the plastic fork into the bowl, having lost his appetite. When he said "a guy like that" he meant Mu Qing's personality more than anything else, because, even though he was a rose full of thorns and almost no petals, he was still a beautiful rose.
"It's a great challenge, and who knows, maybe you'll discover a new taste." Pei Ming raised his eyebrow suggestively, watching his friend grimace in disgust.
When Pei Ming pointed again, now with his chin, Feng Xin looked back and saw Mu Qing now alone at the table, still focused on his books and moving his pen quickly across the page. He sighed and placed his hands on the table, getting up and casting one last look at Pei Ming, who let out an inaudible "good luck" along with a sarcastic smile.
Feng Xin walked to the other table and, when he placed his hands on the table and cast a shadow over Mu Qing, he noticed how the dark eyes stared back at him with indifference.
"What do you want?" Mu Qing had a voice that irritated Feng Xin; the sharpness and ignorance made all his patience drain away.
"You're Mu Qing, right? Can I sit here? I saw you alone and-"
"Why? Don't you have your disgusting football team friends?" Mu Qing was no longer looking at him, only throwing barbs and continuing to copy notes into his notebook.
"Sure, but I wanted to come keep you company." Feng Xin forced a sympathetic smile, sitting down across from the other. He glanced at the notes in the notebook, noticing how even Mu Qing's handwriting was perfectly written.
An awkward silence settled between the two, and Mu Qing didn't seem willing to converse. Feng Xin looked around, thinking about what to say. He could see Pei Ming leaving the cafeteria, his arm around Ling Wen's shoulder; he was certainly bothering her again.
"Shit." When Feng Xin heard Mu Qing cursing softly, looking at his phone under the table, he was a little shocked.
When Pei Ming mentioned Mu Qing, Feng Xin didn't recognize who he was at first. But when he saw the young man, he remembered who he was. Mu Qing was one of the best students in the entire school; everyone knew him for it. His grades were impeccable, and all the teachers fawned over him—they were compliments Feng Xin had never received throughout his school career. Mu Qing was a polished student and, despite his ignorance towards people, he was extremely polite to teachers and superiors. That is, he thought he was polite and polished, until he heard him curse.
"The so-exemplary student, cursing?" With that, Feng Xin managed to attract Mu Qing's attention, who stared at him with genuine hatred, his dark eyes gleaming with anger.
"You don't know anything about me." Mu Qing looked back at his phone, ignoring all of Feng Xin's attempts at approach while typing quickly.
"Hmm, maybe I don't, but I can find out." Feng Xin rested his face on one hand lazily, sliding the fingers of his other hand towards the open book in front of him.
When Mu Qing locked his phone and put it back in his pocket, he quickly looked at Feng Xin, who was trying to stare deeply into his eyes. A small smile sprouted on his lips when he saw Mu Qing staring back.
His hand, which was stretched over the book, quickly recoiled when Mu Qing forcefully closed the heavy book between Feng Xin's fingers, causing him to let out a moan of pain and massage his aching fingers. His furrowed brow looked at the boy in front of him angrily; he was crazy to punch Mu Qing in the face a few times.
But he couldn't, there was no such possibility; he had to win him over to finally get the quarterback position.
"Leave me out of your disgusting and obscene things." With that, Mu Qing got up and stacked the notebook with the book and pencil case, pressing them against his chest and turning to leave. From afar, he watched Mu Qing reunite with his friend from earlier; an eyebrow raised as an idea sparked in his small brain.
He waited until classes were over and walked cautiously behind Mu Qing's friend, stopping beside him at his locker. Maybe he could get some more information about Mu Qing that only his friend would have; of course, he would tell Feng Xin some key piece that would help him get closer to Mu Qing.
"Hey, you're Mu Qing's friend, right?" Feng Xin's deep voice made the young man jump slightly, turning to face Feng Xin. He clutched his backpack to his chest, his face lifting slightly to look into the other's eyes.
"H-huh? Yes, I am, why?" His eyes seemed to look for an escape or someone behind Feng Xin, but the young man didn't care.
"What's your name? I'd like your help." Feng Xin didn't seem to measure how he spoke very well, but he could see the young man in front of him shrinking, looking like he was almost going to step inside the still-open locker. He didn't understand why, honestly, but he blamed his very tall and strong physique.
"M-my name is Xie Lian, I'm San Lang's b-boyfriend." Feng Xin looked up, seemingly thoughtful. Of course, Hua Cheng—he knew some of his teammates were dating and thought it was a big waste of time, especially being in high school, at the prime age where they could be enjoying themselves.
"Sure, sure, Hua Cheng." Feng Xin nodded slightly and looked back at the young man, who was carefully closing his locker, trying not to make noise, as if to alert some beast. He shook his head nervously at Feng Xin. "Okay, listen, I need you to-"
"What's going on here?" Feng Xin felt another pang of discomfort hit his body for the second time that day when he heard a voice behind him, irritating his entire spine. He turned slowly and saw Mu Qing's large obsidian eyes staring at him, his face looking slightly pink, probably from anger.
Feng Xin didn't really know what to say; there were too many new things happening in one day. He watched Xie Lian gather next to his friend and give him a forced smile before moving away from them.
"I was just talking to your friend about some things, why, jealous?" Feng Xin leaned towards Mu Qing's face, who didn't flinch at all and continued staring at him with hatred.
"I think you better be careful, player, or are you also stealing from your teammates?" Mu Qing moved closer, seeing how Feng Xin seemed to hesitate, taking a step back from the accusation. He mentally thanked the empty hallway; otherwise, this matter would certainly become gossip and stain his image with the coach, who always bothered Feng Xin about his reputation and grades.
"Sweetheart, I would never be interested in him." When Feng Xin saw that Xie Lian was already farther away from them, meeting Hua Cheng in the background, he moved closer again and stared into Mu Qing's eyes. "The one I want, actually, is right here in front of me." He raised his hand and brushed the back of his index finger against Mu Qing's cheek, feeling the soft skin and seeing how it painted the face in a beautiful, embarrassed red, quickly moving away while slapping Feng Xin's hand hard. His eyes went from dazed to a glow of pure disgust.
"You're disgusting, I'd rather be burned alive than share anything with you." Mu Qing had a genuine expression of disgust, staring into Feng Xin's eyes as his expression withered, the sting of the slap causing Feng Xin's hand to drop pathetically to his side.
With that said, Mu Qing adjusted his backpack on his back and turned, walking quickly towards Xie Lian, the latter casting one last look at Feng Xin, who remained motionless, just watching the trio leave.
When they disappeared down the stairs, Feng Xin sighed and ran his hand over his face, as a useless attempt to clean it somehow. Winning this bet seemed more complicated than it had ever been, especially when all his techniques were geared toward girls.
"Pei Ming, you'll pay for this."