he was just so alive. xiaojun was lying on the top bunk of their bed while silently observing yangyangs behavior. he was engrossed in a heated round of league of legends and would continuously bounce in his seat while shouting gibberish into his headset. excluding their current situation, everything about him in general was animated and upbeat. xiaojun recalled memories of the day they first met when yangyang enthusiastically bowed before going in for a hug; to the hop in his step & happiness in his laughter while xiaojun chased him for pulling a prank. he remembered how yangyang would playfully bump shoulders with him when he was caught spacing out & how they would naturally gravitate towards each other in any given situation. xiaojun remembered yangyang’s brilliant, toothy smile once he found out they’d be roommates & the countless over dramatic reactions he gave when xiaojun would get up to use the bathroom at ungodly hours of the night. xiaojun knew that he himself had a wild side, once someone broke the ice he would inevitably let loose. it was no different in this case however, yangyang as a whole is was what stood out to him a lot. he had countless friends back in china & people he was acquainted with but none quite like this. the amount of energy yangyang radiated was intense enough that it almost had xiaojun shying away most of time, almost. it felt like he’d known the boy for years despite it only being a couple months yet that did little to hinder xiaojun’s fascination. they continuously learned more about each other every day 

through frequent conversation while tending to their busy schedules. their routine was so frequently systematic it had xiaojun stopping to wonder what his life without yangyang would be like now. there wouldn’t be anymore annoying pranks, corny jokes, blinding smiles, obnoxious laughter, pointless bickering, endearing encouragements...but most importantly there wouldn’t be a shoulder for xiaojun to lean on. other trainees & possible future group knew he was emotionally sensitive yet they knew nothing about how his roommate handled him with upmost care. how his mood was able to take a complete one-eighty degree turn in order to comfort xiaojun when he needed it most. he shook his head slightly to get rid of those negative thoughts then turned to lay on his back while staring at the ceiling. xiaojun was content with his life, he was content with how far he’d come & how far he’d go to continue growing. he hopes that wherever he goes, yangyang will be there with him. 

tap tap 

xiaojun turned his head after he felt fingers on his shoulder & made direct eye contact with yangyang who was staring at him from the edge of the bunk with an unreadable expression. “are you okay?” he said softly. “yeah, i’m fine...just....thinking about our latest dance routine.” yangyang smiled in a delicate way as opposed to his regular toothy grin, it made xiaojun feel warm. “ah I see, that’s why you weren’t answering me when I called you.” xiaojun looked down sheepishly before fiddling with the hem of his shirt, “...sorry.” yangyang smiled before looking at the clock then back at xiaojun, his expression morphed into something more mischievous & his tone got slightly louder than before “let’s sneak out & get boba, our favorite shop is still open!” he exclaimed. xiaojun’s heartbeat quickened a little & he looked at the clock that read ‘11:06 pm’ “no way it’s almost midnight we’ll get in trouble!” yangyang pouted before insisting “come on! we’ve never gotten caught before, I promise we’ll be back before anyone even notices.” xiaojun contemplated on what he’d been told & had to admit, yangyang was right. they’d snuck out numerous times & the thrill of breaking the rules always made xiaojun feel giddily alive. there was also no use in trying to refuse since he knew that he’d end up agreeing anyway. he turned back to yangyang’s questioning gaze before exhaling with a sincere smile “fine..but this is the last time!” yangyang fist pumped with a silent cheer before holding out his hand to help xiaojun get down from the bunk all while looking directly at him “let’s go! there’s this new flavor I want you to try & I promise you’ll like it more than green tea!” xiaojun shook his head with a quiet giggle before taking yangyang’s hand “I’m holding you to that.”