The rooftop was quiet.
Too quiet.
The city below hummed faintly, lights blinking like distant stars.
Lian Ziho stood near the railing, hands in his pockets, when the door creaked open.
"Suo ran ?" he said, surprised.
Suo Ran looked exhausted.
"Did I interrupt?" Suo ran asked.
Lian ziho shook his head. "No. I was just… thinking."
Suo ran walked closer, stopping beside him. For a while, neither spoke.
Then Lian ziho sighed.
"Things feel messy lately."
Suo ran gave a faint smile.
"That's one way to say it."
They leaned against the railing, shoulder to shoulder but not touching.
"Cai Lang okay?" Lian ziho asked.
Suo hesitated.
"Physically… yes."
"And the rest?"
Suo ran looked away, eyes following the traffic far below. "I don't know where I stand anymore."
Lian ziho studied him quietly.
"You don't have to stand anywhere. Just… be."
Suo ran let out a small, tired laugh. "You always make it sound simple."
That's how life works Lian ziho said.
Lian Ziho noticed it the second it happened.
Suo Ran's voice had been slowing, words breaking apart, sentences fading halfway through.
Lian ziho was still listening, nodding occasionally, when suddenly
A gentle weight.
Warm.
Suo ran's head tilted, resting against his shoulder.
Lian ziho froze.
Not dramatically. Not sharply. Just… completely still.
For a heartbeat, he didn't breathe.
He could feel it Suo ran's warmth through the thin fabric, the soft rise and fall of his breathing.
Too close. Close enough that Lian ziho became painfully aware of every inch of space between them.
He's asleep.
Lian ziho swallowed.
His first instinct was to move. To shift his shoulder. To wake him gently and tell him to go inside.
But his body didn't listen.
Instead, his hand curled slightly against his thigh, fingers tightening as if grounding himself.
This is bad, he thought.
Not because Suo ran was heavy.
Not because it was inappropriate.
Because it felt… natural.
Too natural.
Lian ziho glanced down at him. Suo ran's lashes rested against his cheeks, his expression peaceful in a way Lian ziho rarely saw. No fear or No tension. Just quiet trust.
Lian ziho's jaw clenched.
Friends don't feel like this, he told himself.
Friends don't notice the warmth of someone's breath.
Friends don't instinctively adjust their posture so the other person sleeps more comfortably.
Yet slowly, carefully Lian ziho shifted just enough to steady Suo ran's head.
He hated himself for it.
He stared straight ahead after that, eyes fixed on the dark sky, heart beating louder than it should.
He's just tired, Lian ziho repeated in his mind.
That's all.
But when Suo ran leaned a fraction closer, and Lian ziho didn't move away.
That was the moment he knew.
Something was changing.
And he wasn't ready to name it.
The rooftop door creaked open.
Cai Lang stepped out, the night air brushing against his face.
He hadn't planned to come up here his feet had just moved on their own.
He stopped.
Not far from the railing, under the dim rooftop light, Suo Ran was asleep.
His head was tilted slightly to the side.
Resting on Lian Ziho's shoulder.
Lian ziho was sitting still, not moving, as if afraid even breathing too loudly might wake him. One arm rested loosely on his own knee, the other close but not touching. His gaze was lowered, calm, protective.
Cai Lang's breath caught.
For a second, his mind refused to process it.
They looked…
comfortable.
Too comfortable.
The wind lifted a strand of Suo Ran's hair, brushing it against Lia ziho's collar. Suo ran shifted unconsciously, leaning in a little more.
Lian ziho didn't pull away.
Something sharp twisted in Cai Lang's chest.
Not anger.
Not betrayal.
Something quieter.
Heavier.
Jealousy unwanted and undeniable.
He stayed there longer than he should have, watching a scene he had no right to interrupt.
Then, silently...
He turned around.
The rooftop door closed behind him with a soft click.
He told himself it didn't matter.
Suo Ran was tired.
Lian Ziho was his friend.
There was nothing wrong with that.
Yet his chest felt tight in a way he didn't recognize or maybe refused to recognize.
He turned and walked away.
Suo Ran woke up to the faint chill of night air brushing his face.
For a second, he didn't know where he was. His head felt heavy, his body warm in a way that wasn't familiar.
Then he shifted slightly and realized his cheek was resting against someone's shoulder.
"Lian Ziho?".
Suo ran stiffened
immediately, pulling back a little too fast.
"Oh...sorry," he said, voice rough with sleep. "I didn't mean to "
Lian Ziho chuckled softly.
"It's fine. You were exhausted. I didn't want to wake you."
Suo Ran rubbed his eyes, embarrassed. "How long was I asleep?"
"Not long," Lian ziho replied.
"You okay?" he asked.
Suo Ran forced a smile.
"Yeah. Just… didn't realize I'd fall asleep."
They sat there in silence for a few seconds, the kind that wasn't uncomfortable but wasn't easy either.
"These days," Lian Ziho said slowly, "things feel… complicated."
Suo Ran didn't deny it.
Cai Lang returned to his apartment and shut the door behind him.
The lights were off. The space felt colder than it should have.
He leaned back against the door, closed his eyes, and exhaled through clenched teeth.
He told himself he was being unreasonable.
That Suo Ran didn't belong to him.
That Lian Ziho hadn't done anything wrong.
But his mind betrayed him.
Suo Ran's sleepy face.
The way he leaned in so easily.
How natural it looked.
Cai Lang slid a hand over his face.
"Get a grip," he muttered.
Yet no matter how many times he repeated it, the image didn't leave.
Downstairs, Suo Ran returned home later than usual.
The apartment was quiet.
Too quiet.
He hesitated at the door to Cai Lang's place before realizing of coursen it was closed. No light beneath it. No sound.
Had he gone to sleep already?
Suo Ran lingered for a moment, then turned away.
He didn't know why that small fact disappointed him.
The next morning arrived quietly.
Suo Ran woke up earlier than usual, feeling restless. He moved around the kitchen, trying to distract himself washing cups that were already clean, checking his phone without really reading anything.
When he finally heard a door open, his heart jumped before his mind could stop it.
Cai Lang stepped out of his apartment.
Their eyes met.
Neither of them spoke.
"Morning," Suo Ran said first, unsure why his voice sounded careful.
"Morning," Cai Lang replied.
There was a pause.
Too long.
"I..." Suo Ran began, then stopped. "Are you… feeling okay today?"
Cai Lang nodded. "I'm fine."
The words were neutral.
His expression wasn't.
Suo Ran noticed.
"Stop," Suo ran said,
stepping forward.
"You're not supposed to strain yourself."
"I can handle it," Cai Lang replied.
"You literally can't," Suo ran shot back, grabbing his arm gently but firmly. "At least let me help."
Cai Lang froze.
The contact was innocent.
But it felt like too much.
"…Fine," he said quietly.
Suo ran helped him sit, their movements awkward, careful. The air between them felt charged not with anger, but with things neither of them knew how to name.
"You don't have to stay," Cai Lang said suddenly. "I'll recover faster if you don't keep hovering."
Suo Ran stared at him. "Is that what you really think?"
Cai Lang didn't answer.
Suo ran stepped back, hurt flickering across his face before he masked it.
"I'll go out for a bit," he said. "You call if you need anything."
He left before Cai Lang could stop him.
Suo Ran didn't know where he was going.
His feet carried him upward before he realized it.
The rooftop.
He sat down where he had slept the night before, hugging his knees.
Why did everything feel so off lately?
Why did Cai Lang feel distant?
Why did Lian ziho's presence feel comforting and confusing at the same time?
He pressed his forehead against his knees.
"I'm tired," he whispered to no one.
Cai Lang stood alone in his apartment, staring at the door Suo ran had just walked through.
He clenched his jaw.
This wasn't what he wanted.
He didn't want distance.
He didn't want silence.
And he definitely didn't want to see Suo leaning on someone else like that again.
But his father's words echoed in his mind.
Stay away from him.
Cai Lang exhaled slowly.
"…I don't know how," he admitted quietly.
The night fell again...
unresolved.
Three people.
One growing distance.
Feelings none of them were ready to face.
And somewhere between silence, jealousy, and fear.
Something fragile was beginning to crack.