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For as long as he could remember, Shu Yi used to avoid Shi De.
He wouldn't look at him, not talk to him, or about him. He would avoid naming him, giving him any sense of realness, but that didn’t mean he didn’t know anything about him.
Shi De was still his nemesis, and from afar, he saved every detail he could about his enemy. He needed to be prepared for his next battle, not that he won any yet, Shi De still number one in every aspect of their lives, but his day would come, Shu Yi needed to be ready for it.
He didn’t think it would happen like this, though, him waking up in the middle of the night in sweat, his brain screaming wrong, Shi De standing in front of his bed, his bloody face staring at him from the shadows, his whole silhouette foggy, surreal, his part-time uniform telling him enough to help if he wanted.
He did, because Shi De had to be alive if Shu Yi wanted to ever win against him.
That’s how he ended up at the hospital soon after, sitting awkwardly in one corner of Shi De’s room, hoping to disappear as doctors told Shi De he should thank his lucky star, how his fall at work could have been much worse if he hadn’t had an appointment with a friend, and Shi De’s eyes, dark, tired, but so incredibly full of life, wouldn’t budge an inch from Shu Yi the whole time. Because they both knew there was no appointment, no friend, but something else, out of their depth.
Shu Yi had tried to explain it earlier when Shi De had first regained consciousness, even if he couldn’t understand it himself. Shi De had listened quietly to his impossible story before whispering “You noticed,” which confused Shu Yi, but the sudden flushed cheeks and neck of the lucky boy made him lose his brain and heart altogether, forgetting to ask what he meant, barely able to shrug helplessly, his own neck burning.
Almost cute.
“I’ll stay.”
Shu Yi answered absently when a nurse asked him if he would spend the night there, not looking away once, one corner of Shi De's mouth quirked up, barely noticeable if he hadn't stared for what felt like forever, but also an instant. Shi De's big, deep brown eyes on him in return, alive with a glow Shu Yi couldn't name, but could feel turn his inside into a firy tornado, letting the butterflies fly until he felt dizzy, his skin prickling. All under the scrutiny of Shi De, whose smirk turned braver, wider, almost sly.
Smug bastard.
Zhou Shu Yi used to avoid even the very idea of Gao Shi De, because he knew, deep down to his bones, his soul, the moment his eyes would lay upon him, he wouldn't be able to look away.
Ever.
Not like Gao Shi De would let him, now that he finally had his attention.