Thread by @SILVNXVARRO

#Xicheng

Jiang Cheng wipes down the counter, humming along to the blaring sound of a drunk man singing at the top of his lungs.

~Can’t believe that I’m a fool again, I thought this love would ~

The man chokes on his own breath, wheezing slightly before he continues singing.

Jiang Cheng grins at the ridiculous display, though he laments the state of the man for a moment.

Freshly dumped and in need of a rebound is exactly his type. Drunk, however, is not. Jiang Cheng signals the DJ to fade out the music.

“No! Wait! I still— ~how will I know, you~”

“Come on now,” the DJ tries to collect the mic, only to be batted away with a particular strong swing of the man’s hand. The DJ backs away quickly and the man reaches out for him with those large hands, still looking entirely intimidating despite the apologies that stumble out.

Jiang Cheng is quick to intersect, putting himself between them. He catches the other’s hands with some effort, holding both wrists tightly. “Sir, it’s time to go home.”

The man sighs, deflating visibly with a mumble. “I don’t have one.”

Jiang Cheng gives him a look.

It is unlikely considering the man’s clothes and entire appearance.

“Is there anyone I can call?”

Before the man answers, Jiang Cheng feels a tap on his shoulder.

“You got this?” The DJ asks.

Jiang Cheng nods and waves him off, then turns his attention back to the man.

He pouts and wiggles a hand. Jiang Cheng lets it go and the man reaches into a pocket, retrieving his phone, then passes it to Jiang Cheng.

“Password?” Jiang Cheng asks, turning the phone to the man.

The man looks away with a frown and Jiang Cheng nearly loses his patience.

Then he sees the background. The picture is of two man smiling, hands wrapped around other, and written in the corner is ‘Yao <3 Huan’

“Are you Yao or Huan?”

The man turns to him, eyes wet with a big sigh.

“Yao?”

The man pouts, pink lips protruding as he sways.

“He’s not here,” he says in a tiny voice.

“Oh.” Jiang Cheng regretfully thinks that maybe he wasn’t dumped.

“So you’re Huan? Just Huan?”

“Huan Huan,” the man says with a wide grin, eyes half closed. “I’m Huan Hua- Hu-”

Jiang Cheng knows that look all too well.

Despite his experience, he does not safely evade the vomit that comes of Huan Huan’s mouth. He groans, backing away as the other bends over, puking onto the stage.

Huan lowers himself to the ground, head in between his hands. He sniffles, making uncomfortable noises.

Jiang Cheng steps over the vomit carefully, opens the camera app on the phone and presses record. Then he picks the other off the ground. “Come on,” he says, dragging the heavy man to the bathroom.

He leans him against the counter while he sets up the phone. He bends and speaks towards the camera, “This is so you don’t think I’m some kind of pervert. I would leave you like this but this screams help me, doesn’t it?”

Jiang Cheng gestures to him, showing the camera the man with vomit all over his chin and shirt. Jiang Cheng strips himself of his shirt and bends over the sink to wash off the smell and rinse himself off before he does the same for Huan.

He throws his own shirt into the trash and tosses the other into a basket. “I’ll keep this aside incase you want to wash it,” he tells the camera. “I’d advise against it though.”

He brings them to the back of the bar, & into his living area, setting up the phone in the corner.

Jiang Cheng drops Huan Huan on the bed and throws a blanket over him. Then he goes back to the phone. “Hope you have enough space on your phone for the whole night,” he tells the camera as he plugs in a charger, for the phone to last the whole night.

Jiang Cheng tidies up the bar and takes a shower before slipping into bed, making sure to leave a light on so the recording isn’t pitch black.

He feels the poke in his arm with an alarming spike of anger. It takes him a moment to wake up and recognise the man staring at him.

He grunts as he gets up, annoyed and exhausted from barely getting any deep sleep. To top it off, he’s being stared at like he’s a criminal. Holding the blanket to cover his bare chest, Huan stares at him like something scandalous has happened.

“Huan, was it?”

He collects the phone from the corner of the room and marches himself to the other man, shoving the phone into the man’s hand. “Just watch this.”

He busies himself with getting dressed, pulling on a shirt to match the shorts he slept in.

“Here,” Jiang Cheng tosses a random spare shirt onto the bed, “I think it should fit.”

Finding Huan Huan still staring at him with wide eyes, Jiang Cheng groans, rubbing a hand over his face. “Look, Huan,” JC pauses, narrowing his eyes, “Huan Huan? Whatever your name is,”

“Nothing happened last night, just forward the video and have a look, I have CCTVs in the bar too if you’re still feeling weird about this.”

“Xichen…” Huan says quietly. “My name is Xichen.”

“Oh. Well, Xichen, you should get dressed and leave, someone is probably worried.”

Xichen reaches for the shirt, still holding the blanket to cover himself. “Can you turn around?”

Jiang Cheng snorts but turns around regardless.

“I would have called someone if I knew who to call.” Jiang Cheng tells him.

“I’m sorry for inconveniencing you.” Xichen says.

“Ah,” Jiang Cheng waves it off. “You’re not the first.”

“I’m sure you don’t usually let strangers sleep in your bed?” Xichen questions.

If there’s anyone else in his bed, they’re definitely strangers and for one night only.

Though this is the first time someone has slept in his bed without sex.

Jiang Cheng simply shrugs at the question as he turns to face the man; not exactly worth explaining. “Why weren’t you with anyone last night?” He asks instead. “Usually people get drunk in groups.”

“I don’t know anyone here, I’m visiting my brother,” Xichen offers. “And I hadn’t expected to be intoxicated, it just happened.”

Jiang Cheng agreed with a short laugh, “Yeah, that happens a lot.”

“Speaking of, how intoxicated was I?”

“Whatever you’d call singing the same song at the top of your lungs 8 times.”

“Eight?” Xichen exclaims, blood draining from his face.

“You were on key for the first two,” Jiang Cheng elaborates, “But the rest were a lost cause.”

“Oh dear.”

“Oh dear, indeed.”