the child that was blessed by the stars (hht x ysg)

loud

shi gu had always acknowledged the boy's presence. how could he not, when he and his friends were always so... in your face? not one week passed by where he wouldn't hear the taller's excited yelling or playful insults he threw around with the other five guys. bo xiang was the one closest to him, was what shi gu observed after a few months. they were inseparable, always sharing dumb prank ideas or gaming tips. 

then came the time when even hao ting's name was deafeningly loud. four marks below his own grade, the name "hsiang hao ting" screamed in his face. had he been too fascinated by the other's easygoingness to notice how dangerously close he got to take over his ranking in the school's grades? shi gu scolded himself to pay more attention the next time. this slip up couldn't happen again. from then on he ignored the distant shouting that was trying to intrigue his curiosity. 

nineteen points. how was that possible? was it a mistake by the administration? how could one person score that differently in the span of a few weeks? that was when shi gu started listening to the other boy more distinctly. hsiang hao ting, the obnoxiously carefree boy that still cared so much. shi gu heard it in the way he questioned his friends when he saw them frowning and offered to buy them chicken to make them feel better, the way he always paid attention to the words of the people around him, even if he wasn't really interested in the topic. he was listening, shi gu noticed, more than anyone he'd ever met. 

after a while, hao ting started hearing him too. it took him some time to actually listen, but he was trying from the very beginning. looking back, shi gu realized that. there were misunderstandings that had to be cleared up, but after that was done, all that stayed was this pure, innocent interest the buff boy had in him. the smaller had denied it for a long time, but truth to be told, he always felt the stares on his back and heard the soft sounds of admiration hao ting spared for him only. 

it was hao ting that heard the motorbike approach and grabbed him before he could get hit. it was hao ting that heard his pleas to forgive him and leave him alone and it's hao ting who got it after the second time. then it was shi gu who heard the other everywhere. he was always there, checking up on him, bringing him food, provoking him. it was starting to become difficult to resist his antics, but shi gu was confused what hao ting wanted from him. 

he got his answer when hao ting was suddenly in front of him, breath caught in his throat, hair a bit messy from his habit of nervously going through it with his hand. he needed to clarify something, was what he said, needed yu shi gu's help to prove a point. hao ting's hand on the side of his face, coming closer. the heartbeat felt under the other's fingertips, words confirming that it was getting faster, he could hear it all. he could hear every little thing going on in the taller's body and mind. his breath hitching when they got close enough that they could count each other's lashes. his confusion, as his babbling stopped immediately after getting caught in shi gu's stare. and then his words: "it's real... i like you!", before he ran off.

he heard them loud an clear. louder than anything. 

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this is a present for my friend who found my account, but currently isn't allowed to read any of my other stuff. she's also drawing a hope world jacket for me, so this is a small thank you.