This was a world far removed from the one he had been born and raised in. It was clean, structured, and humming with silent power. It felt alien and safe all at once.
Jian Ci walked ahead, pointing at the doors as they passed. "That is Jian Wei's cabin. Mine is here. And yours is right next to mine." He paused, then added, "Jian Rui stays one level up in the captain's cabin, but he's always hanging around here."
He tapped the panel beside Yu Xi's door. It slid open with a soft whoosh, revealing a spacious room. A single bed sat neatly against the wall, flanked by a desk and two armchairs. Jian Ci tapped another panel and a closet revealed itself, empty for now.
"Oh, right," Jian Ci said. "Let me grab you some clothes. We are about the same height, right?"
He stood beside Yu Xi, measuring with his eyes. Not much difference, though Jian Ci's frame was broader, more muscular. Yu Xi's build was lean, almost delicate.
"I think I can fit," Yu Xi said quietly.
"Alright, I will be right back."
As Jian Ci left, Yu Xi pulled off the blanket draped over his shoulders. He looked down at the dirt smudged across the fabric and frowned, guilt prickling at him. He hadn't meant to stain it.
Jian Ci returned moments later with a folded set of clothes. They were dark and structured, almost like a uniform. He placed them on the bed.
"There is a set of toiletries in the bathroom," he said. "Oh, and umm the laundry chute is over there. When you are done, call me. We will go to the lower level and get you a haircut."
He suddenly reached out without hesitation and ran his fingers through Yu Xi's hair. "Hmm," he murmured, voice tinged with surprise, "it's actually so soft."
Yu Xi didn't respond, but his breath caught for a moment. The gesture was unexpected, gentle and almost reverent. Jian Ci didn't seem to notice the effect it had, already turning to leave.
Minutes later, Yu Xi stood beneath the warm cascade of water, his body still, his thoughts drifting. The blood that had dried into his skin now ran in thin, rust-colored streams, pooling at his feet before swirling down the drain. He watched it go silently.
Just hours ago, he had been a forgotten prisoner in a cold cell, destined to vanish without a trace—his body incinerated, his name erased, his existence reduced to a footnote in his father's research. Now he was aboard a warship, surrounded by people who had power and a cause, a cause he was now a part of.
As for Jian Ci. He didn't want anything from Jian Ci neither did he expect anything. He didn't dare dream of more. He just wanted to be near him. For him, that was enough. Why he felt this way, Yu Xi didn't know.
***
After what felt like an eternity, he stepped out of the shower, towel draped over his shoulders as he dried his long hair. He dressed in the clothes Jian Ci had given him. They fit well enough. The height matched, but the fabric hung looser around his frame. Jian Ci was broader and stronger than him. Yu Xi made a quiet promise to himself that he would train harder.
Fully clothed, he walked to the next cabin. The door was already open. He knocked on the panel out of courtesy, then stepped inside.
Jian Ci sat on the edge of his bed, shirtless, elbows resting on his knees as he adjusted the settings on a sleek communicator. The soft glow from its interface lit the contours of his face, casting shadows that danced across his collarbones. At the sound of the door, his head lifted, dark eyes catching the light like polished obsidian.
The motion made the muscles across his chest flex subtly, defined and symmetrical, the kind of physique honed by years of discipline. His abs were sharply cut, the V-line tapering into the shadows of his low-slung trousers. Around his neck hung a pendant, a shard of silver etched with ancient runes, shifting slightly with each breath as it rested against the rise of his pectorals.
Yu Xi stepped in, his gaze flicking across the scene and lingering a moment too long. He felt like he shouldn't be here with him like this, and panic fluttered in his chest. But his face remained unreadable. It was cool and composed, as if nothing had stirred inside him.
"I will come back later," Yu Xi said, voice steady.
Jian Ci stood, fluid and effortless. "No need."
He crossed the room, the pendant swaying with each step, catching the light like a signal. Yu Xi stood frozen, the air between them charged.
Jian Ci stopped in front of him, close enough that Yu Xi could hear the soft rhythm of his breath. Without a word, he reached out and touched Yu Xi's damp, waist-length hair. His fingers brushed through it with surprising gentleness.
"Jian Wei said we shouldn't cut it yet," Jian Ci murmured. "He needs to do it at the medical bay."
Yu Xi blinked once, then nodded. "Okay."
His hand lingered in Yu Xi's hair for a moment longer before falling away, the warmth of his touch fading slowly. Then he straightened and said, "Give me your hand."
Yu Xi hesitated, uncertain, but eventually stretched it out. "Why?"
Jian Ci took the communicator he had been tinkering with earlier and fastened it around Yu Xi's wrist. "You will need this. It's easy to use, but I can teach you when we come back."
Yu Xi tilted his head. "Will teaching me be faster?"
"Of course," Jian Ci said with a grin. "I teach better than artificial intelligence."
It was a lie, of course. Jian Ci just wanted an excuse to spend more time with him.
Yu Xi nodded. "Then I will trouble you."
"Good," Jian Ci said, turning to his closet. "Let me grab a T-shirt and we can go."
Yu Xi stepped back and looked away, trying not to intrude. Jian Ci pulled out two shirts, an army green one and a black one, and held them up. "Which one looks better on me?"
Yu Xi blinked. Both of them looked good. Jian Ci could wear a plastic bag and still look good. But he said, "The black one."
Jian Ci smiled. "Okay. Usually when I ask Wei Wei or Rui-ge, they just say 'wear whatever.' But you are so nice. Can I come ask you every time?"
Yu Xi replied, "Sure. As long as you don't mind my nonexistent fashion sense."
He had chosen black for a selfish reason. If Jian Ci wore it, they would match. It would feel like they were wearing the same thing, like a couple.
He didn't dare say it aloud, but the thought warmed him more than the shower had.
***
Jian Ci: Let's be friends.
Yu Xi: NO!