Obsessed with a High-Ranking Esper (BL)-Chapter 182: Xi Xi

He looked out the window, jaw clenched, fists curled in his lap. He wasn’t done, he still wanted to know, but for now, he could only give up.

***

Jian Ci carried Yu Xi on his back as they stepped into the estate, the hovercar’s soft hum fading behind them. Yu Xi’s arms were loosely looped around his neck, his breath warm against Jian Ci’s shoulder, his body heavy with wine and silence.

Inside, Jian Wei was hunched over the coffee table, surrounded by scattered tools and glowing schematics. He looked up, brow furrowing the moment he saw them. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"What happened?" he asked, voice sharp with concern.

Jian Ci adjusted his grip. "He’s a little drunk."

Jian Wei raised an eyebrow. "A little? He looks like he drank himself half to death."

"I will take him to his room," Jian Ci muttered, shifting Yu Xi’s weight.

Before he could move, a groan echoed from the hallway. Xiaobao appeared, dragging her feet like a zombie, dark circles under her eyes, hair tied in a lopsided bun. She looked like she hadn’t slept in days and she hadn’t. All because of Jian Wei.

After she had pointed out a typo in his 60-page article, a typo that, in the end, didn’t even exist, Jian Wei had taken it personally. Very personally. He had made her read all his research work over the year, then assigned her three more reports, two data compilations, and a presentation on neural resonance theory.

He’d discovered, to his great delight, that bossing her around was fun and so, Xiaobao had been worked like a mule.

When she saw Yu Xi slumped on Jian Ci’s back, her eyes widened. "Brother!" Yu Xi mumbled something unintelligible and turned his face away.

Xiaobao’s expression darkened. She marched over, glaring at Jian Ci. "What did you do to him?"

Jian Ci blinked. "He just drank too much—"

"This is why I told you to take him to a nice restaurant instead of a stupid nightclub," she snapped. "But noooo, you wanted to take him drinking."

She reached out to grab Yu Xi’s arm, but Yu Xi tightened his hold around Jian Ci’s neck, burying his face in his shoulder.

Xiaobao: "..."

Jian Wei didn’t even look up from his tools as he said, "Let Ah-Ci take care of him. It’s his fault anyway."

Xiaobao huffed. "How shameless." Whether she meant Jian Ci or Yu Xi, no one asked.

Jian Ci didn’t argue. He just carried Yu Xi upstairs, his steps slow and careful. In Yu Xi’s room, he gently lowered him onto the bed. Yu Xi let out a soft sigh, curling onto his side, his back to Jian Ci.

"I am going to get you a drink to sober you up," Jian Ci said quietly.

Yu Xi hummed, barely acknowledging him. Jian Ci stood there for a moment, staring at the curve of Yu Xi’s back, the way his shoulders rose and fell with each breath. He wanted to ask.

Wanted to know everything. Who had hurt him. Why he wouldn’t talk. Why he looked away when Jian Ci tried to meet his eyes but he didn’t ask. He couldn’t ask him again, not like this.

So he sighed, turned, and left the room, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

***

The cool glass of the sobering up drink was slick in Jian Ci’s hand as he nudged the bedroom door open with his shoulder. The sight that greeted him punched the air from his lungs.

Yu Xi was sitting on the edge of the bed, fumbling with the hem of his t-shirt. He had managed to hitch it up to his armpits, exposing the smooth, lean plane of his stomach and the tempting dip of his navel. His movements were clumsy, frustrated.

"Gege," Yu Xi mumbled, his voice slurry and thick."So hot. Stupid shirt"

Jian Ci’s throat felt dry and he didn’t even realise. He set the glass down on the nightstand with a sharp click. "What’s wrong?" he asked, his own voice sounding strange to his ears.

"Hot," Yu Xi whined, twisting the fabric. "Get it off."

"Stop struggling. I will help you." Jian Ci moved closer, the scent of sweat and expensive liquor filling his senses. He reached out, his fingers brushing against the heated skin of Yu Xi’s ribs as he grabbed the shirt. He tugged the garment up and over Yu Xi’s head, ruffling his dark hair. As it came free, Yu Xi sighed, a sound of pure relief, and fell back against the pillows. His chest, now bare, rose and fell in a slow, intoxicating rhythm.

"Gege," Yu Xi said again, his eyes half-lidded and fixed on Jian Ci. "Help me take off my pants, too. Please"

Jian Ci didn’t mind. He should mind. He really fucking should. But he didn’t. He knelt beside the bed, his fingers hooking into the waistband of Yu Xi’s soft cotton pants. He pulled them down, down over lean hips, down strong thighs, past his knees.

Yu Xi lifted his legs helpfully, and then he was free, wearing nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs that clung to him like a second skin. Yu Xi smiled, a loose, satisfied grin. "Better. It was like a fucking furnace."

"Drink this." Jian Ci brought the glass to Yu Xi’s lips, his other hand cradling the back of his head. The scent of herbs was sharp and clean.

Yu Xi turned his face away, petulant. "No."

"Come on, Xi Xi. Drink it." The nickname slipped out almost naturally.

Those words made Yu Xi’s drunken gaze snap to his. His eyes, usually so sharp, were cloudy but suddenly focused. Something raw flashed in them. It was a memory of his mother calling him Xi Xi while feeding him after a beating so bad he wanted to die from starvation.

Jian Ci’s heart hammered against his ribs. "Just two sips. For me. Please." He helped Yu Xi half-sit, supporting his weight. Yu Xi’s back was hot against his arm.

Yu Xi drank. He didn’t take two sips. He drained the whole glass, his throat working as he swallowed, a drop of liquid tracing a path down his chin. Jian Ci watched it, mesmerized, before wiping it away with his thumb. The skin of Yu Xi’s jaw was impossibly smooth.