Gu Shan danced vigorously and wiggled his body sensually under the coupled influence of both the alcohol and the pleasant music. Liu Daxun could barely keep up with his pace. Even those around them stopped to watch the boy in amazement. If he were sober right now the boy would have disappeared the moment he noticed someone else's eyes on him but right now he was so intoxicated that he thought the whole dancefloor belonged to him. He felt like he was flying.
"Shake your asses guys! " Gu Shan screamed with joy urging those beside him to continue dancing instead of staring at him. He became the master of ceremony cheering them on to dance like there was no tomorrow. Liu Daxun knew all that was because of the effects of alcohol but he was still surprised.. And he felt a little proud seeing the boy dancing care freely and not being uptight like his usual self. Liu Daxun however kept his promise of keeping filthy hands from touching his sensitive friend. He didn't want the boy to hide away from this world because of some traumatic experience at a club. Seeing the boy was tired he dragged him away from the dancefloor back to the reception counter.
"Daxun-ge,today you said I should fulfill three wishes for you so now it's your turn to fulfill mine,"Gu Shan spoke drunkily struggling hard to keep his eyes open.
"What's your wish?"
"Have a drinking competition with me,"he ordered.
Xiao Hui arranged several shot glasses in front of them and poured shots in each of them. The two boys competed against each other, emptying all the glasses in front of them. Liu Daxun with his high alcohol tolerance was also swayed by his own high intake of liquor. His eyelids became heavy and he blinked relentlessly but the more he did the more his vision became blurry. Just like his friend,he gave in to the intoxication and blacked out his head banging slightly against the counter.
Xiao Hui laughed in surprise.
"I didn't see this coming,"he commented looking at the two drunkards.
"What should we do with them?"Li Yunxi asked worriedly.
"We'll have to go with them when we leave after work."
"But that will be almost morning,"Li Yunxi argued.
"It's three in the morning now by five we'll have left."
The two friends slept at the counter and shifted from time to time but none of the two woke up.
*****
Xiao Hui and Li Yunxi dragged the two drunk asses out of the club. The two usually came to work on their bicycles but now they were forced to take a taxi and leave their bicycles under the club's care. Xiao Hui carried Liu Daxun while Li Yunxi carried Gu Shan. Gu Shan was already shivering under the cold and goosebumps were all over his exposed arms. Li Yunxi took off his jacket and put it on him . When they stepped out of the taxi they carried them upstairs on their back. Li Yunxi dropped the boy from his back because he kept shifting stubbornly on his back while muttering incoherent words.
Li Yunxi took a few minutes rest before he decided to scoop the boy from the ground to carry him in bridal style but while doing that the boy kept yanking himself away from him in a teasing manner. Li Yunxi's hand accidentally landed on his butt squeezing it a little in attempt to grab him. Li Yunxi froze in state feeling guilty about touching him inappropriately without his consent considering that the boy was afraid of such things. He felt nervous like the very first time the boy ordered him to fuck him. Without wasting time he composed himself quickly and forcefully carried the boy in bridal style.
"You just touched my butt, didn't you?"the boy suddenly asked smiling weakly with his eyes half open.
Li Yunxi remained frozen unable to answer.
"I just felt your hand on my butt. Tell me, is it soft? "the boy asked shamelessly.
Li Yunxi ignored him out of embarrassment and hastened his pace.
"Just answer me. Is my butt soft?"the boy insisted shouting loudly. Li Yunxi stopped to cover his mouth to shush him. The last thing he wanted was his neighbours thinking he was a pervert taking advantage of drunk boy.
The moment he dropped the boy at the apartment he left quickly afraid the boy would ask the shameless question again.
*****
"What took you so long?"Xiao Hui asked his friend who had just walked in ten minutes later than him.
"He woke up and started whining so it took me a while to control him."
"He's pretty fierce when he's drunk. I can't wait to scold them tomorrow,"Xiao Hui exhaled in frustration.
"I'm going to sleep,"Li Yunxi informed and walked to his room without waiting for a reply. The boy's actions from minutes ago kept replaying in his mind and he felt his chest rising chaotically. He just prayed the boy wouldn't remember about him touching his butt.
*****
"What are you eating?"Gu Shan asked as he approached the dining table.
"Hangover soup. Hui-ge made it for us."
"What happened last night?"Gu Shan asked massaging his temples.
"We had a drinking competition and blacked out after that."
"Who suggested it?"
"You.,"Liu Daxun pointed at him.
"Me?"Gu Shan asked innocently,"That's not possible,"he denied.
"What do you remember from last night?"Liu Daxun interrogated shooting a probing gaze at his friend.
"I only remember the sweet cocktails Yunxi-ge made for us and then the hard liquor I drank and from there I don't remember anything."
"You don't remember dancing like a madman on the dancefloor?"Liu Daxun asked teasingly.
"I...danced?"Gu Shan gulped in disbelief, extremely mortified.
"People stopped dancing to look at you and you even cheered them up to continue dancing saying...."Liu Daxun paused amused by his friend whose face was beetroot red .
"What did I say?"Gu Shan gulped nervously.
"You told people,shake your asses guys... and..."Liu Daxun added and burst out laughing tossing his head back.
"Please stop I do not want to hear any more of it,"Gu Shan shouted dramatically covering his eyes,"Let's change the subject. How did we end up here?"
"Hui-ge and Yunxi brought us back."
"Did I do something else embarrassing other than that?"
"Maybe you should ask Yunxi himself."
"How am I gonna face him now?"Gu Shan buried his face in the palms of his hands.
"Instead of worrying about that why don't you sit down and take that hangover soup?"Liu Daxun proposed pointing the covered bowl on the table with his lips.
"It's all your fault,"Gu Shan whined glaring angrily at Liu Daxun.
An hour later they dressed ready for school. Xiao Hui and Li Yunxi who had their lecture at the same time passed by their apartment to check up on them.
"You guys left your bicycles at the club?"Liu Daxun asked feeling guilty.
"You can take ours,"Gu Shan suggested.
"No need we'll just walk it's not that far."
"Or we could share?"Liu Daxun suggested.
*****
The two pairs shared the bicycles exactly as they paired up in the morning when coming back. Gu Shan had his slim hands wrapped around Li Yunxi's waist as the latter cycled to campus.
Li Yunxi's heart was beating fast again because of the close contact between them. Only when they reached campus was he able to breathe normally.
"You guys can take our bicycles we'll go back on our own,"Liu Daxun said.
"Are you sure about this?"
"Of course,"Liu Daxun confirmed and they parted their ways each heading towards their faculty building.
*****
"Should I ask Yunxi-ge if I did anything funny last night?"Gu Shan asked his friend's opinion on their way to the lecture hall.
"If you're that curious why don't you ask him?"
"It's awkward to ask such kind of things. Aish! I'm never getting drunk again ,"he swore groaning in exasperation.
"If you're afraid to ask him I can ask him instead,"Liu Daxun offered.
"Really?"Gu Shan's face lit up hearing his friend's offer.
*****
Gu Shan heaved a sigh of relief when the lecture finally came to an end. For the first time he could hardly concentrate on the lecture. His mind kept wandering off to the events of the previous night. He regretted drinking too much. When they walked out of the school for their lunch he still looked zoned out.
"I texted Yunxi,"Liu Daxun began.
Gu Shan licked his lips nervously feeling a cold chill run down his spine. His limbs weakened afraid of what he would hear next.
"He said you didn't do anything funny. You were just asleep ,like normal."
"Thank God,"Gu Shan exhaled.
He walked excitedly inside the food stall where Liu Daxun usually had his lunch. Gu Shan's mother had warned him never to eat at roadside stalls claiming he would get food poisoning but because of his friend, he visited such places.But most times he wouldn't go there to eat the food ,he would just accompany him and later he would have his strawberry milk and snacks as lunch which Liu Daxun rebuked to be very unhealthy.
"You always refuse to even taste the food here. Are you afraid your mother's words will come true?"
Gu Shan nodded like a kid.
"Why don't you go to that restaurant you used to take Su Liang for lunch?"
"I hate going out alone,"he confessed.
"So that's why you'd rather accompany me to a cheap food stall and watch me eat so you won't be alone?"Liu Daxun asked snorting in disbelief,"It's funny how you manage to present your projects in front of many people but you can't go out alone,"Liu Daxun mocked him.