Don't forget to mess around

Míngzé couldn’t imagine going to a club every weekend. He’d been to one once, and it had been a nightmare. “Sounds very magical,” he said sarcastically. What they were doing now was more his thing, minus the alcohol involved. But he really liked going out to have dinner or something similar.

Another round. Míngzé looked up at Sāng. Another one of those was probably a very bad idea. The smart thing was to decline and he really should do that. The alcohol in his system already made him light headed and his tongue felt heavy. No was the only right answer. “One.” He was not all business, he did not have a stick up his arse, he was not an old man and he did know how to live. In that moment, taking another shot felt like the way to prove all that.

Sāng explained to him what Gānbēi meant, while Míngzé felt around for another one of those very tiny glasses. They were absurdly small. During the short explanation, his eyes wandered off to one of the lights in the room. It was slightly moving, which was very odd.  At the mention that Chief must really like him, he huffed. “Sure he does,” he said, obviously not convinced. He’d found one and held it up in the air, but held it a little bit tilted to the side.

“So— Gābēin?”

His face said it all; he was not looking forward to this next shot.

Míngzé hummed in agreement. At least they agreed on something. The same could not be said about the shots, because he hated them. He was unable to throw them back and apparently he could also not hold them properly. A soft and short chuckle escaped when the other had to adjust his hand. “That usually does not happen,” he informed Sāng.

He wanted to say he was ready for his next shot, but he really wasn’t. Everything was going horribly wrong and it did not go unnoticed how he was slowly losing control over his own actions. He was ready to take his other shot, but then paused in his action. Quack cup? It was probably nothing. Maybe another tradition he knew nothing about. Sāng had already finished his shot when Míngzé threw back his. He really tried to swallow it instantly, but he just couldn’t do it. Míngzé pressed his hand against his mouth in a desperate attempt to keep everything inside.

With some effort he finally managed to do it. “No, no, that’s enough,” Míngzé said as waved his hands in defeat. “I give up. You win.” He was not even sure why he said it, because this was not a competition, but deep down Míngzé wanted to prove himself. But he couldn’t. If he took one more shot, he was afraid he would not leave this place alive. As the temperature continued to rise, he tugged at the collar of his sweater in an effort to cool down. “You can have what’s left.”

Míngzé narrowed his eyes in confusion when asked if this was a competition. It really wasn’t but at the same time, it also was. “No,” he said matter of fact, but he was not convinced himself. “Maybe?” What was it again Sāng had told him in class. “It’s just me having fun,” he said when he recalled what it was Sāng said. People drink because it’s about having fun, and he could also have fun. Which he was proving right now.

“Sure.” Míngzé grabbed his plate and held it towards the Sāng, waiting for him to fill his plate. This time he really concentrated on keeping it straight. He tilted it a bit to the side, but then again to the left when he felt it was off. No, that also wasn’t right, maybe more forward. His face was one of utter concentration as he tried his best to get the right angle. “This is way harder than it looks, trust me,” he said as if what he was doing needed an explanation. It was a good thing his plate was empty, otherwise everything would’ve rolled off.

He could feel his stomach twist at those words. The idea of drinking more of that already made him sick. “There won’t be a next time.” The cocktail was fine, he could live with that, but the shots were a no-go.

Míngzé rolled his eyes and pulled the plate out of Sāng’s, he was perfectly capable of doing some things himself. He even managed to place down his plate without hitting anything and started eating immediately, only to stop after only one shrimp. Somehow it felt like a very bad idea to eat even more than he already did.

“It has been more than an hour,” Míngzé said as the realization dawned down upon him even though he never checked his phone. There was no way they’d been here for less than an hour. With some hesitation he took another bite.  

Míngzé opened his mouth, ready to tell Sāng that he did not need any help to get home. That he would be fine and find a way to do it himself, but even he realized that would be a near impossible task. If he could not even get his own food, how was he supposed to walk out of here? He did not even want to try to get up, afraid of what would happen if he did.

“I really want to say I will be fine.” But he wouldn’t be. All the lights were moving, almost as if they were dancing, which was definitely not normal. “How are you still fine?” He rubbed his eyes, hoping it would turn everything back to normal. It did not work. He also shoved his plate away, even though it was still filled with food. He was full and if he ate more— that was not how Míngzé wanted to end the evening.

Míngzé raised one eyebrow, not knowing why being a bartender made this any easier. Apparently the amount they had was nothing impressive, but he disagreed. For him it was too much, too fast. At this point, he could definitely use a hand, but he did not notice the one extended to him and only hummed as reply. WIth both hands placed on the table he prepared to stand up. “That’s cheating,” Míngzé complained. How could he ever compete against someone whose job it was to drink? That was totally unfair. “I’ve only ever had one beer. Compared to me, you are a professional.” And beer tasted terribly so he never tried it again.

As it turned out, standing up was the easy part. It went rather smoothly, but Míngzé could definitely feel the alcohol doing its work. “This was a mistake.” Both hands were still placed on the table, the only way for him to keep his balance. Míngzé was afraid to let go because he could already feel how poor his balance and coördination was. Not just poor, it was totally off. “I do need a hand.” He let go with one hand, but could instantly feel his balance wavering. Shit.

“You can always call a taxi, I wouldn’t want to bother you any more than I already have. That way you can stay longer.” They were supposed to hang out, nothing more, but now he’d become a problem. He should really leave now, when he could stand, but Sāng could stay, have some more beers with Chief.

Míngzé narrowed his eyes a little. Right, he’d been pretending to actually have a very exciting life with lots of drunk nights and heavy dancing. Not that he’d told Sāng any of that, but that was the lie he’d formed in his head. “Surprise?” Did it really come as a surprise though? A sigh rolled over his lips as he shook his head. With the state he was in, not at all. “And it was one beer too many.”

With Sāng’s help he managed to get away from the table, but he was too aware of the other’s hand in his. Almost as if his senses intensified their focus on the tactile connection because his eyes could see nothing. Which was stupid, it was only a hand.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Life truly hated him, at the same time he bumped into a chair, causing him to stumble. “Sorry,” Míngzé said with a raised hand just in case anyone was sitting there, but it was an empty chair. No, he was fine. It was only a few steps to the front door, then an elevator and finding his room. Even though he was almost leaning on the other for support, he’d be fine. “Don’t worry.”

Without the other’s support, he would not be able to make a single straight line. With every step he took he felt how he was almost softly pulled back. "Thanks." It was too close for comfort, but it couldn’t be helped. It was not too bad anyway, although it did not help with the fact that he was burning up. It only made it worse.

A soft chuckle escaped at the words spoken by Sāng. Míngzé looked to the side where Sāng was. It did not make sense that the other would say it was his fault, while he’d done nothing. However if anyone was to blame, it was Chief. “Your fault? What? That I’m attacking chairs? It’s fine, no one’s at fault,” he said , his words slurring a bit. To reassure Sāng, he patted him on the back a few times.

When he initially came here with Sāng after class, he was prepared for the worst. His plan was to check his phone every minute and make a run for it as soon as possible. He thought everything would suck. But it— was not at all what he’d expected. He sighed deeply as fully leant into Sāng. “It was fun. That’s what matters, right?” A small smile tugged at his lips.

Míngzé did not know why he would blame Sāng for anything. It did not feel like he’d done anything wrong. Well, not during this dinner thing anyway. The other then noticed he was drunk and Míngzé widened his eyes. He could not keep his fake surprise long as it was pushed away by his amusement. “How very observant of you.” Another sign he would truly be lost without Sāng at his side.

The hardest thing was getting out of the bar safely. With Sāng’s help no more chairs got suddenly attacked and the tables were also safe. As they approached the front door, he could already feel the cold wind from outside, a pleasant feeling. Love. Míngzé couldn’t help but roll his eyes. During this whole night Sāng had used nicknames like that, but he always ignored them, until now. “Love,” he repeated as he tried to understand why the other kept using those words. Even the door proved no problem for them.

When they were finally outside Míngzé closed his eyes as he enjoyed the fresh air. This was the moment where he should try to stand up on his own. There were probably more people outside and he felt much better now that they were outside. And yet he made no effort to move away. His hand was still on Sāng’s bak, ready to grab him should he fall. “It’s a bit awkward, isn’t it?” While he had no problem asking people to help with small things, this was on a whole other level.

It had been quite a while since someone last called him one of those things and the tone had been completely different too. But gēgē was a new one. Míngzé made a face at Sāng’s. “I honestly don’t— know.” It did not help that his mind had a bit of trouble processing it.

Even when Qiān was helping him he only held his arm and that was it. Míngzé did not need more support at those moments, but this was different. Something softy brushed against his hand, the feeling not unpleasant until he realized it was Sāng’s finger. “Aha— great idea,” Míngzé said after clearing his throat. Since when was walking this difficult. It was one foot after the next and then repeat and ignore a certain presence and then again. Easy.

“I think I’ve got it,” he declared as he let go of the other’s hand. It went well for approximately one step before his balance betrayed him. He was glad he still had his other hand near Sāng’s back so he could grab a handful of his clothes to prevent himself from falling. “Or not,” he softly muttered.