Chapter Text
Mu Qing was an enigma, Feng Xin had come to that conclusion early into meeting the man. They’d met in a debate class freshman year of high school, along with Xie Lian. Immediately, Feng Xin found Mu Qing hard to read, and that made him distrusting of the boy. He could never gauge Mu Qing’s intentions or emotions, always assuming that Mu Qing was far more sinister than he led on. It wasn’t until senior year that he realized that in reality, Mu Qing was simply poor at projecting his emotions. He was blunt and straight to the point, a trait that left Feng Xin off kilter at first. However, by the time he’d learned to give Mu Qing more grace, the damage was already done. Mu Qing was just as distrusting of him as he had been of Mu Qing.
All through high school and into the first couple years of college, Mu Qing and Feng Xin bumped heads like no one’s business, even if there was nothing to fight about. An argument could spring up from simply the tone of Mu Qing’s voice, or a suggestion that Feng Xin made on where to get lunch. Even Feng Xin had to admit, it was exhausting.
Nearly a decade of knowing each other and Feng Xin could hardly say he knew anything about Mu Qing, aside from the fact that he had a sweet tooth and an excellent hair care routine. Even now, as Feng Xin found himself staring at Mu Qing from across the library, he couldn’t think of anything that he actually knew about him, his favorite books? Favorite movies? Foods that he liked besides the straight sugar he considered edible. He could go up to him and ask, try and mend the friendship that could have been if he’d only been a little less judgemental when they first met. Something coiled in his gut at the thought. What if he and Mu Qing had been real friends? Would he know all those things about him? Would he have been able to make Mu Qing laugh like Xie Lian did? The coil twisted and Feng Xin found himself averting his gaze.
They’d bumped into each other when they entered the library, the only communication between them being Mu Qing’s scoff before he stalked away toward a far table in the corner, completely unoccupied. The entire library was pretty deserted if Feng Xin was being honest. They were only three weeks into the semester, so he supposed that made sense.
Feng Xin strained his eyes to try and see what book Mu Qing was reading. It was blue with bold golden lettering on the outside, standard font. Most likely it was a text book of some kind. As he read, Mu Qing would periodically scribble something down in a notebook sitting open next to the book. Feng Xin squinted his eyes further, trying to make out what the title of the book was. He made out what looked like a B and definitely recognized the hook of a G and a Y. Biology.
It clicked in Feng Xin’s brain that he didn’t even know what Mu Qing’s major was. Obviously he had a biology class, but was it an actual part of his major or just a prerequisite? Feng Xin found himself insatiably curious. Being curious about Mu Qing was nothing new, it had been a normal feeling since senior year of high school, when he’d first started to realize just how little he knew about the man. He supposed that was when the pit in his stomach showed up every time he looked at Mu Qing for too long. He always assumed it was guilt at how he’d failed to really make friends with him, and it had only gotten worse over the years. Nowadays, it was near unbearable, and he found his thoughts occupied with Mu Qing even when the other man was nowhere near him. There was a part of him that wanted to apologize, beg Mu Qing for his forgiveness and ask if they could start over, but his pride was hesitant to allow him to do so. Still, he wondered if there was a way he could mend their relationship without having to get all sappy about it.
Then it hit him.
Feng Xin didn’t have a biology class this semester, but Mu Qing didn’t know that. The idea was only half baked in his head before he stood from his seat, closing his math book and putting it back in his bag, slinging it over his shoulder as he sauntered over to where the other man was seated. He pulled back the chair across from Mu Qing and sat down before Mu Qing had even realized Feng Xin had come over. The look of initial surprise in Mu Qing’s eyes shifted to annoyance once he saw exactly who was occupying the other seat at his table.
“Can I help you?” He deadpanned bluntly.
“Yes.” Feng Xin answered. Silence stretched on for a few moments before Mu Qing sighed, rolling his eyes.
“With what, Feng Xin?”
Feng Xin scrambled to organize the words in his head. He should have thought this through more before actually coming over, but it was too late now. “Uh, right.” He shifted in his seat uncomfortably. “Mu Qing, you have a biology class this semester, right?” He asked and Mu Qing’s expression hardly changed at the question.
“Yes, why?” His answers were short and sharp, and Feng Xin could feel the animosity in each one.
“Well…” Feng Xin wracked his brain. “I do too, but I’m having a hard time with it, and considering you’ve always been a straight A student, I figured who better to ask for help than you?” Nailed it.
This time, Mu Qing’s expression did change, from annoyance to confusion to scrutiny back to annoyance. “Why don’t you just ask Xie Lian? He has a biology class too.”
Feng Xin pinned him with a look. “You think I want to learn biology in between him fawning over Hua Cheng?”
Mu Qing pursed his lips together, “good point.”
“Sooo…?” Feng Xin leaned forward slightly in his seat.
Mu Qing seemed to consider him for a moment, and Feng Xin was fully expecting him to tell him to fuck off. “Fine.” What? Feng Xin’s surprise must have been visible, because Mu Qing followed with, “you ask me for help with something and you’re surprised when I agree?”
“Yes.” Mu Qing rolled his eyes, shutting his biology book and slipping it back into his bag.
“Just, meet me back at this table on Monday, and bring your own text book, you’re not borrowing mine.” Mu Qing didn’t give Feng Xin a chance to respond before he was standing and walking away toward the door. Feng Xin just sat there, staring at his back as he left and the way his ponytail swayed from side to side with each step. What the fuck did he just get himself into?
What the fuck was he doing? Feng Xin stared at himself in the window of the book store. He lied to Mu Qing and told him he needed help in a biology class that he didn’t have for the purpose of what? Spending time with him? Getting to know him? He cringed internally. However, it was too late to back out now, so he took a deep breath and pulled open the door to the small shop. It was a book store located about a block away from their college and pretty close to Feng Xin’s apartment. It had a large section dedicated to textbooks, specifically ones that were usually required for classes at the college. Luckily, before Mu Qing had left, Feng Xin had gotten a pretty good look at the textbook he was studying from. Advanced College Level Biology written by Dr. Steven Brahms and associates. It was a hefty book and when Feng Xin found a copy of it high up on one of the store’s shelves and pulled it down, he was surprised by its weight. Mu Qing could definitely kill him with this.
He took the book up to the counter and dropped it down. The clerk behind the counter appeared startled at first at the sound of the heavy book hitting the counter, but regained herself quickly. She was an older woman, possibly in her mid to late forties, her hair graying around her face where it fell to frame it. The rest of her dark hair was pulled back elegantly, and she stood tall and regal.
“A little late in the semester to be buying textbooks.” She commented as she flipped the book over to access its bar code. She was right. Most students had gotten their textbooks, either renting them or purchasing them, weeks ago, when the semester had first started.
“Late bloomer.” Was all Feng Xin answered as the woman scanned the bar code and entered a few keys into her computer. Feng Xin knew the book was going to be expensive, however…
“That’ll be $349.99.” $350!? The clerk must have clocked his reaction to the price from his face, because she followed with. “Or you can rent it for 90 days for $49.99.” 90 days. Feng Xin thought about it. 90 days would probably be plenty of time for this little ruse to play out. Hell, he’d probably find a way to back out of it in two weeks, claim Mu Qing was some master teacher or something and say he was now making an A in the class… okay maybe a B+, he needed to stay realistic.
“That’ll work.” Feng Xin answered as he pulled out his wallet and handed the woman his credit card. It was a card paid for by his parents, only to be used exclusively for school supplies. Technically this was a school text book, so it counted. At least, if his father asked about it, that’s what he would tell them.
Feng Xin walked out of the store with the heavy book weighing his shoulder down in his bag. He felt ridiculous. What the actual fuck was he thinking?
The weekend passed by far quicker than Feng Xin had wanted. He’d spent most of it with Xie Lian and Mu Qing, playing video games in his apartment and going to their favorite little coffee shop down the street. He’d half expected Mu Qing to bring up his request for tutoring, and had spent far longer than he probably should have coming up with an explanation to Xie Lian, who unlike Mu Qing, was familiar with Feng Xin’s school schedule, and knew he didn’t have a biology class this semester. The excuse he’d come up with was that he’d asked Mu Qing to help him prepare for the biology class he was going to have next semester. It was a shaky answer at best, but he hoped that Xie Lian would buy it. It’s not like it was a lie. With how Feng Xin had organized his classes, he was scheduled to have a biology class next semester, along with an anatomy class that was surely going to kill him, if Mu Qing didn’t do it first.
However, Mu Qing didn’t mention their little agreement a single time, though he did notice the feeling of Mu Qing’s eyes on him more than usual. He had to give Mu Qing some grace, it wasn’t like Feng Xin asking him for help with anything was a particularly common occurrence. He was probably still freaked out by the whole situation. When Monday arrived, Feng Xin’s nerves were through the roof as he walked through the hallways toward the large double doors that would lead into the library, and possibly his doom.
Mu Qing was sitting at the same table he’d been at the Friday before, his black hair pulled up into a tight ponytail, his eyes scanning a page within the book in front of him. Feng Xin found his eyes tracing the sharp outline of his jaw, it was taught, probably clenched tight as he read, his shoulders were level and stiff. Mu Qing wasn’t one to relax, no matter how much Xie Lian had tried to get him to. Feng Xin loathed to know just how many knots were in the other man’s shoulders. He teased him that Mu Qing would go grey soon if he didn’t let up a little, which usually only earned him an annoyed scoff. Feng Xin was briefly surprised by the thought of just how pretty Mu Qing actually was entering his mind. He shook it away as he slowly stalked forward, careful not to make too much noise.
“I was wondering when you’d show up.” Mu Qing remarked without even looking up from his book. It was the same textbook that weighed heavy in Feng Xin’s bag right now.
“I’m not that late.” Feng Xin answered as he dropped his bag onto the table and took his seat across from Mu Qing.
“You’re not on time.” Mu Qing quipped back.
“You didn’t specify a time, you just said Monday.” Mu Qing didn’t seem to have a remark for that, and simply rolled his eyes.
“Did you at least bring your book?” He asked, crossing both of his arms in front of him on the table, resting his weight on his elbows. Feng Xin simply opened his back and pulled out the hefty textbook, dropping it onto the table in front of him with a loud thud. A look of surprise seemed to cross over Mu Qing’s features before it was quickly whisked away in exchange for his normal look of mild annoyance anytime he was in Feng Xin’s presence. Mu Qing sighed. “Okay, well what are you having trouble with specifically, we’re three weeks into the semester and we’ve gone over quite a bit.” Fuck. Feng Xin didn’t have an answer. He had no idea what the biology classes were going over right now. He should have found the class’s syllabus on the school’s website, but he hadn’t thought of it. If he survived this little meeting, he’d make sure to go home and print it out… along with doing all the homework for the classes he actually had, which included two essays he still hadn’t even started on. What the fuck was he doing?
“All of it?” Was all Feng Xin could answer with, and a look he couldn’t identify passed over Mu Qing’s face.
“All– Do you even pay attention in your classes?” It was phrased as a question, but Feng Xin couldn’t help but feel like he was being scolded. “No wonder you’re failing.”
“I’m not failing!” Feng Xin corrected a little quicker than necessary. “At least not yet,” He tried to add. “And I’ve got A’s and B’s in every other class. It’s just this one.”
Mu Qing rolled his eyes. “You’d think the mighty Ju Yang would be good at biology, considering how effective he seems to be at practicing for reproduction.” Feng Xin bristled at the old high school nickname. It had started around junior year, a rumor about his promiscuity, which was not true… entirely, and a rumor about him being quite…. Well endowed… which he wasn’t going to say was false. The name hadn’t followed him to college thank god, but it still made him stiff to hear it uttered again.
“Shut up.” Was all Feng Xin countered with as he threw open his text book to the first chapter. “Are you going to help me or not?” Mu Qing rolled his eyes, and Feng Xin prayed they would eventually get stuck like that.
“Fine. I guess we’ll start from the beginning.”