Work Text:
“Attention please, attention please. This is the final boarding call for passengers traveling on the G9, Beijing to Shanghai departing from platform four. All passengers are kindly requested to board the train immediately as the train will be departing shortly.” Zheng Yongkang ran all the might he could to finally catch the gate, checking in a rather clumsy manner.
He just needed to get to the train, that’s all. He could not afford another ticket at this moment, could not even wait for another God knows hours for the next train. “Please ensure that you have your tickets ready and proceed to the platform in an orderly manner. If you require any assistance, please do not hesitate to approach our staff who will be happy to help you. Thank you.” the announcement blasted again, two minutes before the gate close and Yongkang glad he, at least, managed to hop on the train.
Yet he needed to walk from the carriage he was in to the one he is supposed to be seated at. Did not even bother to see left and right, all passengers were busy with their own things anyway. He could not be bothered by that; not when he got seated by a familiar looking guy who still looked at the outside window with his hand supporting his chin. “I’m sorry…” he talked in small and awkward voice, “My seat is by the window…”
Please anyone bury me right now, I can just take the aisle seat, exchange it with him but what the heck am I even—the stranger turned his head around, looking up to the awkwardly standing Zheng Yongkang. Holyshit. “Oh sorry, I thought it was not occupied.” he replied then gathered his stuffs and stood up to let Yongkang in.
Zheng Yongkang felt like he got strike by a broad daylight lightning; that voice was so beautiful it rang rather endearing on his auditory system. His eyes, the frame of his glasses that perfectly leaned on his nose, the way his chin got covered by his dark blue scarf wrapped nicely around his neck in the middle of winter, or the way his arms held the puffy jacket he wore before. His whole face suddenly felt so warm that if he looked at the mirror, it might look like a perfect round tomato.
He sort of needed to snap himself out from admiring the stranger that is now standing next to him, waiting for him to sit on his previous seat. “Thank you…” damn he is even taller than me. Am I small or this guy is really just too tall? Is he taller than Senxu ge? I definitely am taller than Shunzhi though.
The stranger shook his head, “It was my bad, sorry.” wow this person needs to learn how to not speak, how can a man have voice so beautiful?
Should I ask for his name? Or where is he going? He should be going to Shanghai too, right? I mean, this is a train to Shanghai so that’s a biggest possibility right? Do we have four hours then? But what if he goes off not in Shanghai? Why am I even thinking about this? Yongkang shook his head to snap out of his thoughts, again.
This is bad.
He was never someone who believes falling in love in the first sight, but what is this, actually? Was it because he was just too tired? The activity he did in Beijing might be consuming his whole energy, plus he needed to run from the bus stop in front of the train station, passing the waiting room and checking, and here due to his own clumsiness to miss the schedule. I need to curse Wang ge for this, if it was not because of him buying this ticket, I would not in this eternal state of mess of—he suddenly felt a certain weight hovering on his right shoulder. Fuck, Wang Senxu please save me.
Yongkang could not help but take a glance over the, now, sleeping stranger. The way his eyelashes fell rather beautifully, got the sun directly hit his whole face features that Yongkang tried to restrict his movement so bad when he tried to close the curtain of the window, the way his lips and chin got even more visible since the scarf was no longer in sight (when did he even take that off?). This is definitely unfair the way someone could be this pretty.
He tried to get his breath as normal as possible, trying to not make any movements that might wake the pretty stranger up. Why is he even doing this? It’s just four hours train ride?
Well it was just a four hours train ride if Yongkang not ended up falling asleep too that when he woke up, he could really feel eery that the invisible goosebumps suddenly was just there; did he sleep on the stranger’s shoulder too or—”Damn, I’m sorry I didn’t realize I slept on your shoulder, I—”
The stranger cut him off, “That’s fine, I did that too earlier.” oh fuck, Wang ge please bury me in the nicest land on earth. He did not even bother to say other words, why does his voice still sound so alluring? For sure he just talked in such flat tone, what’s with his tired brain that got him like this? “Ladies and gentlemen, we are approaching Hongqiao station.” the announcement blasted again, one station away from Shanghai. Did I sleep that long?
By the edge of his eyes, he could see the stranger prepared himself to go. Shit, this is a bit sad I did not get to know his name? The stranger got up the moment the train stopped, Yongkang quietly let out a disappointed sigh. He felt empty now that there was not any warm presence next to him. He could see the stranger walked with his phone in his hand by the window, putting all of the focus there. He perhaps already got someone waiting for him, right? Yongkang sighed again, taking his phone to text Senxu. “I blame you for all of this, fuck.”
He got the reply a second after, “Bro what did I even do?” then spammed Senxu with sad stickers afterward that Senxu threatened to block him. Now he did not know what to do, the train is arriving Shanghai soon anyway.
“Did you call over me, Prof?” Yongkang peeked his head on the crook of the door of the lecturers room. His professor nodded her head, calling him over by her hands. He then fully let his body in to walk closer, “Is there anything wrong with the project or is there any revision that I can fix?” he straightforwardly asked with his hands clasped on his back.
His professor shook her head, “Regarding the project, since it’s a cross-major project, you can have more discussion with him.” Yongkang did not even feel any other presence in the room, there was someone sitting on the sofa? Eyes glued to the laptop in front of him? “He is your senior by one year from Artificial Intelligence major, still under the same faculty as yours.” he turned his head to the mentioned guy and blink.
Once, twice, thri—fuck.
The guy turned his head too, answering Yongkang’s stare of a rather shockwave. “Hi, Zhang Zhao.” he stood up, pulling out his hand, “Nice to meet you.”[]