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Published:
2018-04-13
Updated:
2020-05-11
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34,959
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32/?
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quit smoking

Chapter 32: empty space

Summary:

i wish you were here.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

“i wish you could be here,” a pout pulls at xukun’s lips, and zhengting wishes gravity away. wishes time and space and physics away so that xukun can never be sad ever again—he thinks, what’s the use of having two feet on the ground if it means he has to be hundreds of miles away from the one that he loves on such a special day.

“me too,” zhengting says, his lower lip jutting out, looking as if he’s staring at his reflection on a mirror instead of a video call on his cellphone screen. “don’t worry!” he chimes as cheerfully as he can, “i’ll be on facetime with wenjun the entire time. and he said he’d take videos.”

“yeah… but still...” xukun sighs, exaggerating the pout on his face.

zhengting laughs, and the sound of it makes xukun chuckle.

“you’re cute,” zhengting says, “i think i have a crush on you.”

“you have a crush on me?” xukun raises an eyebrow, “how embarrassing…”

zhengting can’t help giggling, biting his lip to keep the laughter from bubbling out of him. he feels giddy. so fucking giddy, and so in love with the boy on the screen and so tired of being so far away from him.

“are they letting people in yet? did you bring your water?” zhengting asks in trademark naggy caring and attentiveness.

xukun raises his water bottle so zhengting can see it. “i think they’ll start letting people in in fifteen minutes or something. i haven’t seen wenjun, though.”

“oh, okay. i’m sure he’ll be there soon,” zhengting says, and xukun nods in reply. zhengting stares for a moment, “i’m so proud of you, babe.”

and the smile that spreads across xukun’s entire face puts summer suns to shame. he opens his mouth to say something, but is quickly cut-off by a familiar laugh that disappears as soon as xukun hears it and zhengting pulling the camera closer to his face, “oh, my exam’s about to start. i don’t know why my civ pro prof is always criminally early,“ zhengting says, “anyway, i ‘gotta go now. call me right after your graduation, okay?” 

“okay,” xukun says, every memory before zhengting’s reminder forgotten, “good luck on your test.  love you.”

“love you.”

 

 

***

 

 

“hey,” wenjun walks up to him, blue scrubs and backpack and never a hair out of place. xukun is standing outside the ceremony hall, the first few buttons of his blue button-up still loose, the sleeves still rolled up, toga folded over his arm and cap in one hand, waiting for the doors to open. 

“hey,” xukun greets back. he nods towards wenjun’s getup, “you have class later?”

wenjun looks down as if he’d forgotten what he was wearing. it’s funny to watch, xukun thinks, like watching a decorated olympic gymnast stumble. “oh, yeah,” wenjun takes a breath and chuckles to keep the air in his lungs from coming out as an exasperated sigh, “my anatomy professor rescheduled classes.” wenjun’s phone vibrates in his pocket, and so he takes it out and starts typing into the screen.

“what sadist reschedules a class on a sunday?” xukun says with impressive empathy, and wenjun does a good enough job of hiding his surprise. he taps away at his screen, and xukun looks towards the closed gates, narrowing his eyes to see if they’ve been opened.

wenjun chuckles belatedly in response. “i know right?” he says, pocketing his phone and slipping his hands into his shirt pockets, “did you talk to zhengting yet?” 

“yeah, a minute ago,” xukun answers, “he’s taking his final now.”

wenjun nods, and he doesn’t say anything else. he gazes towards the entrance, purses his lips. a moment of silence. comfortable and early.

“did you have breakfast yet?” wenjun asks after an odd number of seconds.

the sudden conversation catches xukun off-guard. “uh, no, i haven’t,” he answers. “h—”

“good thing i brought your favorite.” xukun hears the words but doesn’t see wenjun’s lips open, and he doesn’t hear wenjun’s voice at all. there’s a disconnect for all of a moment before it clicks .

he turns around and sees zhengting standing there with a bag of mcdonald’s in hand. he looks handsome, his hair longer and lighter than xukun remembers, smart casual in gray and black leather shoes and xukun’s eyes are blown wide open. his jaw dropped, his brain completely wiped of every single thought besides,

“zhengting?” the syllables come out nearly breathless.

zhengting laughs. xukun thinks that if he waved his hand in front of him, it would go right through this hologram zhengting but he takes his chance. he leaps forward and wraps his arms tight around zhengting.

“zhengzheng!” he exclaims, unable to keep his voice down, “ how long has it been ?” he says the words before he can think anything, sounding relieved and ecstatic and surprised and excited all in one breath.

xukun squeezes too hard, and all zhengting can do is laugh.

“exactly seven months and five days, my love,” zhengting says, and xukun wants to kiss the smile right off of his lips. but he reins himself in and settles for clasped hands.

“how are you here? i thought you had an exam.”

zhengting laughs, as if so incredibly proud of himself for finally being the one to pull a prank on xukun. he shakes his head, smiles abound, neither of them able to keep from smiling and laughing and holding hands, “no, i took it last week and flew back. i got here last night and stayed at wenjun’s.”

xukun had admittedly forgotten that wenjun was standing there, or that anyone else besides zhengting and himself actually existed in the world. he looks behind him to see wenjun chuckling.

“well, i’m going to be late for class,” wenjun sends the both of them a smile, “sorry i have to miss it, xukun.”

“are you kidding?” xukun nearly steps forward and hugs wenjun—instead, he nods, “go to class. don’t be late.”

zhengting waves goodbye, the gates opening right then. there isn’t much time and space for a teary hello and a welcome back makeout session in the middle of a crowd of people all moving forward, so they save it for later and keep their fingers intertwined. drawn to each other like gravity’s pull, no space at all between them and nothing but all the time in the world.

Notes:

zhengkun happy times after the prev chapter but xukun got kicked out of school for being xukun hit rockbottom for a sec there were some rough patches but zhengting stayed with him through it all true love tings!!!!! and he got back on his feet and now........

 

 

 

this fic is stupid to the end <3 if ur reading and writing zhengkun fics in 2020 u deserve actual jail time btw