[xingchen isn't completely naive. he knows how the world works, how dirty it can be. he even knows how to defend others against it on dark nights when he's not the only one coming home late. he's just not willing to change who he is because of it. he accepts himself as he is, and that extends in its own way to the rest of the world. to xue yang.

huaisang calls it his "bad boy" phase, as if he could use someone that way. xingchen's drawn to him for a lot of reasons, not all of which he even understands. but he tries to be helpful in so many little ways. he tries, and it feels like it's for xingchen exclusively. he knows there have been wrong paths, he's not naive about that either. but maybe together they can choose the right way.

(he stumbles on the sidewalk. xue yang's voice is in his ear, but it's not pleasant at all. there's laughter and words that he can't quite make out, only this sort of wicked glee in yang's tone. it fills him with anguish, he wants to cover his ears against it and scream-)

I was going to say we go right for some cake...

xingchen stops in his tracks, his heart still pounding as he lowers the phone. no, that couldn't have been xue yang's voice in his ear. because of course, he's right there. he sighs, and the usual placid expression returns to him.]

You only think you'd like it if I never left. You'd get bored.

[it would be like keeping a cat in a crate, nothing to bat around, nothing to stalk. in no time at all he'd be knocking things off the counter just to be an asshole.

xingchen holds his hand out to the darkness where xue yang is.]

There's a nice little bakery where we can have a sandwich and cake. If only someone would take me there.