CHAPTER 27: WHAT’S YOUR TYPE?

Thirty minutes later, Yu Xi entered his cabin. As the door slid shut behind him, he sighed. He pulled his hair back, fingers brushing his wrist where the yellow scrunchie should’ve been. But he had thrown it away in annoyance when Jian Ci left with Leila.

He let his hand fall and walked into the bathroom, splashing cold water on his face, trying to quiet the ache that had crept into his chest.

He soon realised that when he was alone, the silence became a mirror, one that reflected every scream, every scar, every unpleasant memory. The quiet was never empty. It was filled with echoes of his brother’s cries, the cold glint of surgical steel, the sterile scent of antiseptic that never quite left his skin. His demons waited in the stillness, patient and cruel.

But when Jian Ci was around, it was different. The shadows didn’t vanish, but they receded, as if his presence cast a light strong enough to keep them at bay. It wasn’t anything Jian Ci said, it was just him. Loud, irreverent, alive.

Yu Xi patted his face dry with a clean towel and stepped out of the bathroom.

A voice crackled from the display panel. "Can I come in?"

Yu Xi replied, "Sure. It’s not locked."

The door slid open and Jian Ci strolled in, dropped a bundle of clothes on the table, and flopped onto Yu Xi’s bed like he owned it.

"Where did you go?" Yu Xi asked.

"Got your medication," Jian Ci said, propping his head on his hand. "You are not sick or anything. Just deficient."

He pointed at the clothes. "I also brought you my pajamas. And something for tomorrow."

Yu Xi picked them up and turned to the closet, his lips curving slightly.

Jian Ci lounged on the bed, watching Yu Xi pack away the clothes with a lazy sort of interest. "Are you going to sleep?" he asked.

"Not yet," Yu Xi replied, hanging the last shirt. "But I am going to change out of these clothes."

"Okay," Jian Ci said, stretching his arms behind his head.

Yu Xi picked up the pajamas and turned toward the bathroom when Jian Ci’s voice stopped him. "Yu Xi, are you that shy? We will be going to military school soon. There’s a lot of changing in locker rooms so you have to fix that habit."

Yu Xi paused and said, "You are right. I better get used to it."

Jian Ci grinned. "Besides we are all Espers. What’s there to worry about?" What he really couldn’t say was that he wanted Yu Xi to feel comfortable around him. He didn’t want Yu Xi feeling insecure about his scars but he also couldn’t bring up such a heavy topic.

Yu Xi’s ears warmed instantly. He turned his back to Jian Ci, hyper-aware of every movement and every breath behind him. He peeled off his t-shirt and slipped into the pajama top. It was slightly oversized, the sleeves brushing his wrists. He hung his pants neatly and stepped into the soft pajama bottoms.

When he turned around, Jian Ci was still watching him.

Yu Xi’s ears flared, heat blooming across his skin. "What? What’s wrong?"

Jian Ci blinked, then smiled. "Nothing. It just... suits you." Yu Xi looked away, unsure what to do with the flutter in his chest.

What Jian Ci really wanted to say was you look like a girl wearing her boyfriend’s clothes. A very tall girl. But he stopped himself just in time, biting back the words before they could escape. He shifted on the bed, patting the space beside him.

"Come sit," he said casually.

Yu Xi sat down, the mattress dipping slightly under his weight. Jian Ci reached into the bag beside him and pulled out a small box of medication, flipping it open and showing Yu Xi the labels.

"Wei-ge said you should take one of each three times a day with food," he explained, pointing to the capsules, "and this one at night before bed."

Yu Xi nodded, taking the blister packs and placing them neatly on the table.

Jian Ci chuckled. "I feel like I am your personal dispensary."

Yu Xi cleared his throat. "I thought you went on a date with Lilian."

"It’s Leila," Jian Ci corrected, eyes drifting to the ceiling. "And nah, she is not my type."

Yu Xi tilted his head, curious. "What’s your type?"

Jian Ci smiled. "Sweet... kind... and able to handle my BS. I don’t know if you have noticed, but I talk a lot. So yeah. Oh—and they should be able to handle my bursts of energy."

Yu Xi pursed his lips, eyes glinting with mischief. "Yes, I have noticed... you do talk a lot," he said, deliberately dragging out the last words.

Jian Ci gasped, sitting up like he had been struck. "Why did you say it like that?"

Yu Xi blinked innocently. "What? I am just repeating what you said."

Jian Ci leaned in, narrowing his eyes, their faces now only inches apart. "Be honest. Does it bother you? Because I can dial it back... but it will be really, really hard."

Yu Xi’s expression turned thoughtful, lips pressed together as if weighing the question with grave seriousness. The longer he stayed silent, the more Jian Ci’s face fell. If he had dog ears, they would be drooping pitifully by now.

Finally, Yu Xi tilted his head. "Why are you sulking?" he asked softly. "I don’t mind. You can talk to me to your heart’s content."

Jian Ci lit up like a sunbeam and immediately wrapped his arms around Yu Xi. "You are the best."

Yu Xi stiffened slightly, caught off guard, the ticklish brush of Jian Ci’s hair against his neck making him squirm.

"But I can be too much," Jian Ci murmured. "So tell me if I am. Even my brothers can’t stand me sometimes—okay, most of the time."

Yu Xi chuckled, warmth blooming in his chest. "I will tell you. I promise."

Jian Ci let go of him and stretched, then said, "Do you want me to teach you how to use your communicator?"

Yu Xi nodded. "Sure. I don’t think I can get used to it."

He shifted slightly, angling his wrist upward so the device was visible. Jian Ci leaned in beside him, close enough that Yu Xi could feel the warmth of his presence. The communicator was sleek, embedded into a band of alloy that wrapped around Yu Xi’s forearm like a second skin. Its interface pulsed faintly, waiting for input.

Jian Ci’s fingers hovered just above the surface—long, precise, never quite touching. "This is your primary channel," he said, voice low and steady. "Tap here to cycle encrypted frequencies. This one’s internal Halo comms. This one’s field relay. And this—" he paused, glancing at Yu Xi, "—is the emergency override. You only use that if you are dying. Or if I am dying."

Yu Xi nodded again, but his attention was drifting—not to the communicator, but to Jian Ci himself. The way his hair fell over his forehead, catching the light. The curve of his lips as he spoke, unhurried and calm. The subtle movement of his throat when he swallowed between sentences.

And those fingers—long, slender, elegant—moving with such quiet authority. Yu Xi swallowed, trying to focus, but the warmth in his chest was growing harder to ignore.