He started to get sleepy when the moon was illuminating the room and Hua Cheng's bicep was under his head. Their legs were intertwined and Xie Lian ran his fingers up and down Hua Cheng's side with his nails. He could see the goosebumps forming and it made him smile.

"Gege likes teasing me, eh?" Hua Cheng murmurs into his hair. His warm breath made Xie Lian resist shivering. 

"Does San Lang not do the same?" He asked, looking up to look him in the eyes. Hua Cheng's gaze was soft, eyes half lidded. Xie Lian decides to tease him a little more, "San Lang gege loves to tease me all the time, does he not?"

Hua Cheng's eyes widened in surprise. He abruptly coughs into his hand and blinks a few times, avoiding eye contact for a moment. Xie Lian smiles something self-satisfied. 

He decides to continue as normal, "I don't think He Xuan is coming back. Does San Lang gege think we scared him away?"

Hua Cheng covers his hand with his mouth and leans back, shaking his head minutely.

Xie Lian leans forward a little in response. "What's wrong, San Lang gege? I thought you weren't affected by alcohol." He knew that he well into the drunk stage to have the courage to be this flirtatious but he liked how it made Hua Cheng nervous. 

"Ge- Gege," Hua Cheng clears his throat and lowers his hand. "Gege, you are going to kill me."

Xie Lian grins and runs his hand to Hua Cheng's hip and squeezes. "San Lang gege-"

Abruptly, Hua Cheng grabs his shoulder and pushes him down, legs framing his own against the bed as he hovers over Xie Lian on his elbows. Xie Lian freezes, pliant in surprise, and looks up at Hua Cheng with a heavy blush on his face. Hua Cheng is breathing a bit harsher than before and he lowers his face to Xie Lian's neck.

"You will be the death of me, Dianxia," He murmured into his skin. This time, Xia Lian couldn't stop the full body shudder. He could feel Hua Cheng's smile. Hua Cheng leaned onto one elbow and let the other hand lay on Xie Lian's collarbone. His hand was so large that it touched his neck and shoulder as well, a heavy and grounding weight pressing him down.

What was unsaid between them‐ it was heavy and apparent. They both knew it was there, both knew what they were too afraid to voice out loud. It would make it real and what was real was fragile.

Xie Lian moved his hands at the touch, one grasping into Hua Cheng's shirt between them and the other caressing his face. He took in his warmth and kept it for himself. Seeped in his attention and the ability to be so close to someone. 

Instead, Xie Lian hummed into Hua Cheng's temple. "San Lang."

"Gege?" His voice came out muffled. 

"San Lang," he said again. A complete statement. 

"Gege." Hua Cheng's hand on Xie Lian's collarbone twitched.

Xie Lian smiled. If this all Xie Lian would ever get, he couldn't complain. 

Hua Cheng lowered himself to press completely on top of him and Xie Lian moved his hands to wrap around his large torso. The weight felt good, his warm and alcohol filled body thrumming with pleasure. Hua Cheng wrapped his arms around Xie Lian, pressing them between him and the bed.

"San Lang, you did so well! You really acted like… well, yourself!" He breaks away from the loveseat he was leaning against to stand in front of him. He's slightly bouncing on the balls of his heels in excitement. 

Hua Cheng glances away to swallow before giving a small smile. "I did as gege told me, I acted as I usually would. The two idiots are unsurprisingly just as annoying as my world."

Xie Lian's eyebrows raise in surprise. "Your world… Are they there too? Are there other versions of people that are here?" 

"I'm sorry, gege, I'm not sure. But we can assume so, yes." 

He nods. "Very interesting. I wonder if your version of me is here? And my San Lang-" He stops and looks curiously at Hua Cheng. 

He bites into the last strawberry, innocent, his slightly pointed teeth making the fruit bleed onto his lips. They were dying them a deeper red. He makes a curious noise for Xie Lian to continue. 

"Is he in your world? Is it dangerous there?" 

His gut twists with concern but Hua Cheng's expression stays steady. "Yeah, he should be fine. My butterflies have been looking around this entire time and haven't found him or- you, anywhere." 

He walks over to the kitchen and lets the uneaten strawberry stems and leaves fall into the garbage can, just as Feng Xin did earlier.

"My world is dangerous but, if I am the only one to come over here and switch places with him, then he is in good hands."

He sounds confident but Xie Lian can't stop himself from biting his lip. Well, there wasn't much he could do for now, anyway. Speaking of which…

"Are you going to go back? How did you get here?" He trails along to the kitchen and leans against the island as Hua Cheng puts the plate in the sink along with a few others.

He was surprisingly adept at using context clues to maneuver this world, if his own world was more behind in technology as Xie Lian suspects.

"I'm sorry gege, I do not know the answer to either." 

"Hm." He crosses his arms in thought as Hua Cheng continues.

"I am in the middle of investigating how to return, though. If there really are other versions of those I know, I have a few leads." He oozed confidence that Xie Lian didn't quite feel, but he trusted him.

"With your little butterflies?"

"Mh."

"What else can you do other than change your looks?" He tilts his head as Hua Cheng seems to nervously fidget his hands together. He twisted his fingers iver his left middle finger, as if to touch a ring, but stop when they reach only skin.

He stares down at his hands before saying, "I can do whatever gege needs of me. This San Lang is your humble servant." 

Xie Lian blushes at such serious wording. Although his own Hua Cheng has said similar, it was never as if Xie Lian was his master. 

He waves his hand in front of him nervously. "Nonsense! San Lang is no servant of mine, he is my friend. I was just curious." 

Hua Cheng gives him a mirthful look with a crooked smile. It was endearing to see. "Very well. I can do many things, what would you like me to do?" 

Xie Lian hums in thought and crosses his arms again. What could he ask him to do? He said he was a ghost king, did that mean he had a whole country do his bidding? Did he walk through walls, go invisible like a ghost? 

"Can you walk through walls?" 

"Hm, essentially, I suppose. Would gege like to see?" 

He nods eagerly and watches as Hua Cheng steps out from the counters to the wall directly next to his bedroom. If he walked through it he would be right next to where he kept Ruoye. 

Hua Cheng takes out a pair of dice seemingly from his pockets and rolls them in the air. A light filters in a rectangle in front of him on the wall. He glances back at Xie Lian before stepping into it- the light disappears as if shattered. 

Xie Lian stands there with his eyes wide for a moment before running to his bedroom door. When he opens it he sees Hua Cheng studying the enclosure Ruoye hid in. It was currently out and passively flicking its tongue at him. He had his hand slowly reaching to touch him.

They burst out laughing and Suguru feels a warmth in his chest. This was a familiar feeling; the edibles were kicking in. His hands felt tingly and his face numb. “I think I feel it.”

Satoru looks over at him, sunglasses glaring. “Oh yeah? I’m not yet.” His mouth struggles to hold a straight line and Suguru knows he's lying. His sunglasses hiding his eyes are starting to annoy him.

“Liar.” He whispers, reaching to take off his sunglasses. He hesitates, waiting for Satoru to pull away or say no, but nothing happens. He slips them off and looks into his eyes. They were as shining as the sunglasses; an iridescent blue that demanded one’s attention.

“I like when you call me names,” Satoru whispers back, taking the glasses from him and putting them on Suguru carefully. He lifts a strand of hair that got caught between the frames.

The room is incredibly dark to Suguru, no Six Eyes to see for him. He looks around and can barely make out the details of the desk and door. The only visible thing through the glasses is Satoru’s face from the glowing screen, movie still quietly playing.

“How do you see anything with these?” He asks quietly, knowing exactly how.

“I’m just really good.” Satoru smiles with an adoring expression, his attention undivided. Suguru feels embarrassed. As if he did something undeserving of this.

He takes off the glasses and fixes his hair but doesn’t give them back. Instead sets them on the desk next to the bed out of reach. “If your eyes hurt, let me know,” is all he offers. He fiddles with his sweatpant strings, the rough sensation feeling weird on his fingers.

“Okay,” Satoru hums, looking back to the movie. The main character was in the middle of confronting some character Suguru doesn’t recognize. He was probably too distracted.

They watch for a little while longer before the edibles really start to kick in for Suguru. His whole body felt like it was vibrating and he was beginning to get cotton mouth. It was a good but intense feeling.

"How do you feel?" Satoru suddenly asks, putting a hand on his thigh. Suguru watches him but doesn't comment.

He feels shy.

"I feel fine. Been a while since I've been high." He feels like he's talking so slow. "How did you get these?"

“Idiot.”

“Asshole.”

“Bitch.” 

They burst out laughing and Suguru feels a warmth in his chest. This was a familiar feeling; the edibles were kicking in. His hands felt tingly and his face numb. “I think I feel it.”

Satoru looks over at him, sunglasses glaring. “Oh yeah? I’m not yet.” His mouth struggles to hold a straight line and Suguru knows he’s lying.

“Liar.” He whispers, reaching to take off his sunglasses. He hesitates, waiting for Satoru to pull away or say no, but nothing happens. He slips them off and looks into his eyes. They were as shining as the sunglasses, an iridescent blue that demanded one’s attention. 

“I like when you call me names.” Satoru whispers back, taking the glasses from him and putting them on him carefully. He lifts a strand of hair that got caught between the frames. 

The room is incredibly dark to Suguru, no Six Eyes to see for him. He looks around and can barely make out the details of the desk and door. The only visible thing through the glasses is Satoru’s face from the glowing screen, movie still quietly playing. 

“How do you see anything with these?” He asks quietly, knowing exactly how. 

“I’m just really good.” Satoru smiles with an adoring expression, his attention undivided. Suguru feels embarrassed, as if he did something undeserving of this. 

He takes off the glasses and fixes his hair but doesn’t give them back. Instead sets them on the desk next to his bed, out of reach. “If your eyes hurt, let me know.” Is all he offers. He fiddles with his sweatpants strings, the rough sensation feeling weird on his fingers.

“Okay,” Satoru hums, looking back to the movie. The main character was in the middle of confronting some character Suguru doesn’t recognize. He was probably too distracted. 

They watch for a little while longer before the edibles really start to kick in for Suguru. His whole body felt like it was vibrating and he was starting to get cotton mouth. It was a good but intense feeling. 

"How do you feel?" Satoru suddenly asks, putting a hand on his thigh. Suguru watches him but doesn't comment. 

He feels shy.

"I feel fine. Been a while since I've been high." He feels like he's talking so slowly. "How did you get these?"

Satoru gives a mischievous smile. "I have my ways. And they don't smell bad so none of the teachers realized."

Suguru reaches for his hand, parting Satoru's fingers and inspects them. They were long and rough, years worth of calluses from fights and hard work layered into his skin. Suguru's hands were no better, but they were thinner and less defined. His mother used to say he had the hands of a girl, the same with his long hair.

Speaking of which, the rubber band keeping it in a bun suddenly hurt. He takes it out in one fluid motion and shakes his head, letting it naturally sit. 

"I need to get you high more." Satoru says.

Suguru looks at him, still holding his hand, and whispers, "Why?" 

Their faces are very close and Suguru can feel his breath. "You're so quiet."

"I can be quiet sometimes." When he meets new people, when he's focusing, when he's alone. 

"No, yeah but you're so quiet right now." 

Suguru laughs. "You just said that."

"I- you know? Shit." Satoru laughs and turns away, hand gripping his own. 

Hesitating for a second, Suguru squeezes it back. It's nice. And warm. It's warm being with Satoru. Physically, along his right side of his body, and inside. His chest is warm. 

He pointedly does not think about it. About how it's so different being with him than with Shoko, or Haibara, or anyone else. How Satoru's attention is warm despite his cold eyes. How when he smiles at Suguru, it feels intimate, like a secret. How close their connection feels at times despite meeting less than a year ago.