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Warm steam rises from the cup in his hand and Xu Boyuan breathes in deeply, enjoying the faint floral scent of tea that fills his senses. Out the window the lights of the city shimmer and glow amid the cool night air. For just a moment he savours the peace and quiet…
His phone buzzes.
Xu Boyuan sighs, putting the cup down on his desk with a hard thunk. He runs a hand through his hair, and takes a deep breath before picking the phone up.
He ignores the faint shaking of his hands.
The message is reassuringly straightforward, directions from his hotel and instructions on who to speak to when he arrives. Everything is arranged. All he has to do is show up.
He takes four deep and even breaths to settle himself.
There’s no reason to be nervous. Really, this is just the natural culmination of events. It’s going to be fine.
Even if it’s the first time they’ll be meeting face to face, it will be fine.
It will.
Xu Boyuan doesn’t think his heart could take anything else.
It started at Christmas.
No, that wasn’t quite right. It had started well before then, after the triumphant return of Team China and the subsequent disappearance of their leader from the public spotlight. Ye Xiu may be Glory’s number one toughest boss, but it was clear that this time his retirement involved other priorities that did not include menacing poor unsuspecting guilds with whatever latest abomination he had devised.
That wasn’t to say Ye Xiu was entirely absent from the game. The Blue Brook guild, and Xu Boyuan in particular, could reliably expect to run into at least one of his alts on a weekly basis - usually right in the middle of a chaotic wild boss fight.
It helped that he seemed to make a point of adding Blue Bridge Spring Snow to each account’s friends list. Xu Boyuan appreciated it. The others might claim that his time on the tenth server has left him with Stockholm syndrome, but Xu Boyuan liked knowing that one of the greatest gods of Glory considered him to be a worthwhile conversationalist. Even if their conversations did primarily consist of him yelling at said god for whatever outrageous statement he’d made this time.
Honestly, it was the highlight of his weeks. For all his mind games, fighting Ye Xiu was a straightforward thing - no guild politics or internal power struggles, just the challenge of the game as it should be played.
Still, it wasn’t until Christmas that Xu Boyuan noticed the shift in their encounters. As always, the annual Glory Christmas event was an opportunity for the guilds to show off their strength, and theoretically Xu Boyuan should have been headed over to the twelfth server to help those sent to expand Blue Brook in the newest server but …
Well. Blue Brook’s twelfth guild leader had been confident he had everything under control. It would hardly be appropriate for Xu Boyuan to interfere with his organisation. Even if his own sources suggested that certain canny old warlocks were up to their tricks again. If Xu Boyuan could survive Lord Grim on the tenth server then there’s no reason Poplar Beech shouldn’t be able to deal with Windward Formation on the twelfth.
Which meant that when a vaguely familiar battle mage approached Blue Bridge Spring Snow with a request to form a party, Xu Boyuan accepted without a thought.
[Unparalleled Adonis]: little blue!
[Unparalleled Adonis]: i thought you’d be on the 12th. old wei was looking forward to having a challenge
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: I’m helping the guild by keeping you distracted.
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: Or did you not want to run the event with me?
[Unparalleled Adonis]: of course, of course!
[Unparalleled Adonis]: just like old times! 😎
The event this year had been themed around the concept of “Secret Santa''. On entering the event players would traverse the snowy landscape in order to find bosses who would drop presents which could either be kept or stored to be gifted at the end of the event to another randomly assigned player - of course, those who were the most generous in their gifting would be heavily rewarded at the end!
Playing alongside Ye Xiu had been as exhilarating as always. The event may have been intended for a larger party, but with Ye Xiu’s near godlike ability and Xu Boyuan’s own skill they had managed to acquire a substantial number of presents. In fact, they had done so well that Xu Boyuan didn’t even argue when Ye Xiu had asked for the last few drops. If there was a particular material he was after, then so be it. At least it wasn’t coming from Blue Brook’s coffers.
All in all, Xu Boyuan couldn’t remember the last time he’d had so much fun.
Then of course it was back to work. There were dungeons to be run, bosses to be won, and arrogant experts swearing vengeance against all of Happy (Wei Chen had apparently outdone himself on the twelfth server).
Given his apparent schedule Xu Boyuan hadn’t been expecting to see Ye Xiu for several days. Which is why the message sent the next day asking for an in-game meeting had caught Xu Boyuan off guard. The contents of the subsequent trade request had come as an even larger surprise.
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: These are swordsman’s gloves.
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: Silver gloves.
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: Why are you giving them to me???
[Unparalleled Adonis]: they are!
[Unparalleled Adonis]: not top level, but they aren’t inferior to your current set
[Unparalleled Adonis]: nice visuals when equipped too!
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]:That doesn’t answer the question…
[Unparalleled Adonis]: it’s a gift :)
[Unparalleled Adonis]: in the spirit of the season! 🎁
[Unparalleled Adonis]: besides, who else would I give them to?
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: …
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: Thank you.
[Unparalleled Adonis]: no need for thanks
[Unparalleled Adonis]: you’re always welcome, little blue!
[Unparalleled Adonis]: :)
Logically it made sense, it was unlikely such equipment would be in high demand at Happy given their lack of Blademasters. But looking at how well the gloves matched Blue Bridge Spring Snow’s colouration, the way they released a gentle gust of wind filled with snow and cherry blossoms every time he drew his sword…
Truly a thoughtful gift.
The days after had become busier and busier for Xu Boyuan. Nothing had been said definitively, but Changing Spring had been hinting that he was contemplating handing over leadership duties and Blue Bridge Spring Snow was first on his list. This of course caused its own headaches. One of which took the form of a particularly irritating Blademaster known for his skill in the arena.
[Cat Stealing Fish]: worried about your duelling skills?
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: huh?
[Cat Stealing Fish]: don’t underestimate our spies
[Cat Stealing Fish]: you're distracted
[Cat Stealing Fish]: i’m offended
[Cat Stealing Fish]: i’m right here y'know
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: Oh, sorry!
[Cat Stealing Fish]: you should be. you have me here and you aren’t even asking for help 🙄
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: …
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: What do you get out of this?
[Cat Stealing Fish]: so suspicious
[Cat Stealing Fish]: i’m hurt, little blue!
[Cat Stealing Fish]: i was just going to suggest we take this to the arena for pointers
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: You’re willing to PK with me?
[Cat Stealing Fish]: of course!
[Cat Stealing Fish]: let me go get a blade master
As embarrassing as the subsequent beatdowns had been, Xu Boyuan had to admit that the experience had improved his one on one combat ability. Even without the flexibility of an unspecialised, and in a poorly equipped alt, Ye Xiu was truly a monster in the arena! That he was willing to take the time for a friendly spar with Xu Boyuan…
It was too bad his generosity didn’t extend to other aspects of the game.
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: Did you really have to collapse a cliff on top of us???
[Crispy Golden Fries]: of course
[Crispy Golden Fries]: wild bosses are meant to be fought over! 😎
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: …
[Crispy Golden Fries]: don’t be sad! there’s always next time :)
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: …
[Crispy Golden Fries]: hey, little blue, what’s your name?
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: ?
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: What do you want my name for?
[Crispy Golden Fries]: we’re friends aren’t we?
[Crispy Golden Fries]: you know mine, i should know yours
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: …
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: It’s Xu Boyuan.
[Crispy Golden Fries]: nice to meet you, little xu!
Shortly after that particular incident a courier had arrived at the club headquarters with a bowl of steaming noodles addressed to Xu Boyuan, accompanied by a note reading “Eat up and restore your strength !”.
There was no need to guess the sender.
Their relationship had continued to grow after that, shared banter and Ye Xiu’s unwavering support wearing away at Xu Boyuan’s caution until he accepted that yes, he was genuinely close to one of the biggest legends of professional Glory.
The realisation that he had God-Ye’s QQ, could in fact send a message to him any time and know that he would, most likely, respond, had at one point sent Xu Boyuan into a fit of hyperventilation.
It was fine.
He had a four time championship captain on his friends list.
This was ok.
Despite all the hype, professional players are human too. Ye Xiu wasn't actually some kind of unholy trickster god, no matter what other veterans of the tenth server insisted!
Which… was becoming a problem.
Xu Boyuan had been a fan of Glory for a long time.
While Blue Rain was undoubtedly his team, and Huang Shaotian his professional idol, he had never been immune to the appeal of the great battle god “Ye Qiu”. Even among his rival fans, Ye Xiu never failed to inspire admiration and awe for his tactics, technical skill and sheer love of the game. Meeting him as Lord Grim didn’t really change that. Even at his most infuriating he was still so very clearly operating at a different level to the rest of them.
And that was natural wasn’t it? This was the difference between the gods of the professional league and the mortal players who admired them.
Except now Ye Xiu wasn’t some distant force to be admired.
He was a teasing voice in his ear, doing his best to make Xu Boyuan flustered but never venturing into the realm of actual mockery. He was a constant presence in his friends list, refusing to answer when Xu Boyuan demanded to know how much he slept and insisting that he was fine, there was no need to worry.
He gave Xu Boyuan good advice when he needed it, and cheerful distraction when he didn’t. He knew Xu Boyuan’s favourite places for food and never forgot to tell them to add extra spring onions. He knew his favourite blend of tea.
Fuck.
Xu Boyuan’s once small celebrity crush was rapidly growing into something much larger and more personal.
Before he could truly process this situation things began to escalate. Blue Brook took a Wild Boss without Happy’s interference- not an unheard of situation, sometimes they spawned at inconvenient times or while another battle was already in progress.
But this time, Xu Boyuan knew Ye Xiu had not only known about it but was also fully aware the Blue Brook guild was on their way at the time.
And then it happened again. And again. It wasn’t every boss, and as Xu Boyuan came to realise, it was only ever when he was the primary raid leader, and the location was remote enough to go unnoticed by most of the other guilds, but…
Ye Xiu was giving them bosses.
There was furore coming from the other guilds of course - accusations that Blue Brook’s recent success came from some kind of clandestine cooperation (promptly followed by offers to form their own secret alliance) or that they had inside knowledge on spawning locations. The usual sort of gossip. Xu Boyuan had shrugged it off easily enough, though he couldn’t help wondering what Ye Xiu was planning this time.
Whatever reasons Ye Xiu had for his actions, he clearly hadn’t shared them with the rest of Happy. After days of feeling as if he was being followed, Blue Bridge Spring Snow found himself being forcibly dragged into an eight person dungeon by seven no name accounts with a very familiar class composition.
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: Ye Xiu.
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: Is there a reason your former teammates decided to interrupt their preparations for the next match so that they could “take some time to get to know me”?
[Lord Grim]: sorry, that’s my bad
[Lord Grim]: i’ll tell them to back off
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: It’s fine.
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]:: Su Mucheng apologised already and promised to ask before kidnapping me next time.
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]:: She didn’t say what prompted the bonding session though...
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]:: Maybe you would know?
[Lord Grim]:: they were curious
[Lord Grim]:: didn’t believe me when I said we were friends
[Lord Grim]: don’t worry, they like you
[Lord Grim]:: you have their approval
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: Wonderful…
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: Does that mean they’ll stop?
[Lord Grim]: what do you think? :)
The wild boss situation eventually stabilised, and Xu Boyuan got used to occasionally being pulled away from the rest of his guild for a friendly interrogation or two. It was fine, Xu Boyuan was fairly sure he’d managed to avoid implicating himself for his massive crush on their former captain. It was fine. Except, as with anything involving Ye Xiu, it didn’t stop there. Oh no. That would have been too simple...
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: Captain Yu and Huang Shaotian just asked me to join them for lunch.
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: Again.
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: Also I can now add Wang Jiexi to the list of gods who have deliberately sought me out during wild boss battles.
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: Han Wenqing was terrifying enough.
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: I would really appreciate an explanation.
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: It's not that strange for us to be friends, right?
[Lord Grim]: it isn’t!
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: Then why are so many pros seeking me out?
[Lord Grim]: maybe they find you as interesting as i do
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: Please. Just tell me…
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: This has been going on for weeks.
[Lord Grim]: …
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: Ye Xiu.
[Lord Grim]: I like you.
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: … what.
[Lord Grim]: it’s ok if you don’t feel the same.
[Lord Grim]: i understand. these are my own feelings.
[Lord Grim]: but i haven't been able to hide them completely and some old friends worked it out.
[Lord Grim]: please accept my apologies.
[Lord Grim]: i don’t want this to make things awkward between us.
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: …
[Lord Grim]: little blue?
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: You idiot.
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: I like you too.
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: Maybe you should start asking those friends of yours for suggestions on where to go for our first date.
Life, of course, intervened in their post confession joy. Between Ye Xiu’s professional commitments and Xu Boyuan’s own work with the guild, there was no opportunity to meet in person. While it had undeniably changed, their relationship remained largely long distance. Aside from the occasional video chat most of their dates took place in Glory. Aside from Ye Xiu's blatant flirtation leaving Xu Boyuan blushing so hard his colleagues asked if he needed a doctor, things were much as they always had been. Just, better.
So much better.
Still, Xu Boyuan couldn’t help but be a little apprehensive. It was one thing to know someone at a distance, but would things change once they met face to face? He knew that he found Ye Xiu attractive (and had more than his share of idle daydreams about those elegant hands of his), but what if it wasn't reciprocated?
Eventually, his concerns became unavoidable.
[Lord Grim]: XXX-XXXXXXXX
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: What’s this?
[Lord Grim]: my phone number
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: I didn’t think you owned a phone…
[Lord Grim]: brother insisted. in this case it’s convenient
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: Oh?
[Lord Grim]: happy is hosting all stars. boss chen bullied me into agreeing to come.
[Blue Bridge Spring Snow]: Liar. She barely needed to ask, didn't she?
[Lord Grim]: my boyfriend is so cruel 😢
[Lord Grim]: but i was thinking
[Lord Grim]: maybe we could go for dinner together afterward?
[Lord Grim]: my treat
So, here he was, at the third night of Season 11’s All Stars, sitting in a specially reserved seat and watching the crowd go wild as they announced tonight’s very special guest commentator.
“God-Ye! How wonderful to have you here with us tonight to share your insights! Tell me, how does it feel to be back at All Stars again?”
“Like I never left.”
The tone in his voice is dryer than the Gobi desert and Xu Boyuan finds himself smiling fondly at the commentator’s consternation. Really, what did he expect?
“Ah ha ha… I’m glad to see you’re not missing the competitive arena too badly! Your second retirement must be treating you well!”
The carefully apathetic expression on Ye Xiu’s face breaks, softening into a gentle smile that the cameras have never seen before.
“Mm, I may not be a professional player anymore, but I always said I could play this game for another ten years. And with the right people by my side,” he says looking directly at the camera, gaze intense, “I will.”
Back in his seat, Xu Boyuan blushes, feeling the heat rise through his body. Damn him, how can such a shameless man be so suave when he wants to be?
“So,” Ye Xiu continues, smile turning into what is most definitely his most aggravating expression, “no need for everyone to worry, I’ll be here to help Happy win bosses for many many years to come!”
The crowd explodes into a mixture of laughter and cheers, but Xu Boyuan finds his breath catching as for a moment he can see the future ahead of them. Him at Blue Brook, Ye Xiu flitting between corporate obligations and causing chaos in game, the two of them continuing to clash and banter and enjoy the game they both love, together .
It’s a good picture.
Xu Boyuan wants it more than anything.
What a fool he was to be worried. He already knows Ye Xiu in every way that counts. They’ll meet up tonight after the match and it will be just like every other online date they’ve had.
Just with the possibility of him *actually* be able to kiss that infuriating smirk off Ye Xiu’s face.
He can’t wait.
How long is this match expected to last again?
The host laughs along with them all, obviously relieved to have Ye Xiu cooperating for the moment. “Well, the teams are finalising their preparations now and it is going to be quite the battle! Team A may have your former teammates, but the strength of Team B cannot be underestimated! As the leader of this year’s victorious national team, what would God-Ye like to see from our All Stars tonight?”
“Ah, I look forward to seeing some fast and decisive playstyles. With some luck, this could be a short and explosive game.”
“Oh?” the commentator probes. “Any particular reason for those expectations?”
Ye Xiu pauses for a moment.
Alarm bells start going off in Xu Boyuan’s head as he takes in that carefully casual demeanour. Fuck. Time to brace himself for whatever chaos is about to be unleashed.
On camera, Ye Xiu laughs.
“Well, mainly I was hoping for an early finish so I can finally take my boyfriend on a proper first date.”
A beat of silence.
And then pandemonium erupts.
The noise of the stadium is deafening with the crowd, commentators and players alike all yelling at once while in the middle of it all Ye Xiu continues to smile smugly and say nothing.
Such a shameless man.
Xu Boyuan loves him so much.
The rest of the evening passes in a blur - it is apparent that Captain Yu and Vice Captain Zhang have taken Ye Xiu’s preferences on board in terms of Team A’s strategy, and their teammates commit themselves to the plan with glee. Team B, somewhat distracted by the gossip ( “Senior, boyfriend?” “It appears so Captain. We’ll have to congratulate him in person.” “Someone is crazy enough to date Ye Xiu?” “Tang Hao you have no sense of romance!” ), and more than a little taken aback by Team A’s unexpected ferocity ( “... did Xu Bin just get taken down by Happy’s baby Ghostblade? In under three minutes?” ) do not prolong the match.
And so it is that Xu Boyuan finds himself waiting outside one of the back entrances to the stadium, away from the crowd, his breath steaming in the winter air.
“Ah, Little Blue! You’re here!”
Xu Boyuan turns around and there he is, Ye Xiu, in the flesh and sauntering towards him, eyes alight. He stops barely half a step away, hands twitching as if to touch Xu Boyuan before returning to his side. Xu Boyuan huffs once and reaches out to pull him into a proper embrace.
“I’m here. I could hardly stand you up after you made such a fuss could I?”
Ye Xiu grins unrepentantly and Xu Boyuan swats at him. “Menace.”
“Can you really blame me? The one I like is right here and he’s even cuter in person! How could I not let everyone know?”
“Shameless! You’re lucky I like you anyway.”
Ye Xiu pulls him closer, and for the first time Xu Boyuan is absolutely one hundred percent convinced of his sincerity.
“I really, really am.”
As it turns out, kissing Ye Xiu is infinitely better than cursing him - and Xu Boyuan is sure he will be doing both for a long time to come.
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me:
Twelve gods a gaping
Eleven digits dialling
Ten days a dungeoning
Nine nights a nattering
Eight pros a prying
Seven sneaks a smurfing
Six guilds a grumbling
Five wild bosses
Four hot dinners
Three PK
Two silver gloves
And the toughest boss in GLORY