Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Lin Ling started his new job in FOMO's marketing department a few days after being crudely fired from his last job.

It should be a blessing in disguise, considering that he was able to land a similar role this quickly, but Lin Ling couldn't help but feel as though he was back to square one. Having the tendency to insert his own beliefs into his work, his promotional materials of FOMO's heroes came out to be less centred on the heroes themselves, but of what Lin Ling thought would be good to see. He proposed a vlog-like video for Luoli to show off her strength and talent with machines in casual clothes rather than focusing purely on the suit, but this idea was almost immediately rejected without much consideration from the higher ups.

The companies, at its core, seemed to like perpetuating the same elements which got the heroes famous in the first place, rather than introduce more humane features. 

Even so, Lin Ling was not so easily discouraged. He'd follow their prompts to the best of his ability, whilst slipping in new elements that he thought would be good to see. Casual viewers rarely noticed additions like these, but if the more dedicated fans caught on and liked them, it made all the extra effort worth it. The only downside was that he'd work overtime for most projects that he took on just because of his own pertinacity. 

Lin Ling didn't mind. It was his own stubborn drive that kept him glued to his desk, but the company laptop clearly disagreed with him. He found himself visiting the IT team with his malfunctioning laptop in no time.

"Come to think of it. Lin Ling, why are you still here?" His coworker asked, tapping through diagnostics on his laptop to look at the issue. "I thought you came at 9am. By right, shouldn't your shift have ended an hour ago?" The clock on her desk showed that it was almost 7.

Lin Ling let out a sheepish laugh. "I'm not quite done with my work." 

"Aiya, when are we ever done with work?" She sighed, snapping his laptop shut and giving it back to him. "You should head back and rest. Look at your eyebags! Have you not been sleeping?" 

"I-I'm really fine..." Lin Ling stammered, but his colleague was adamant he go. The next thing he knew, his colleague was hovering over him as he packed, pushing him out to the lift and then waving goodbye to him. He barely had time to process, much less argue, and could only awkwardly wave as the lift doors closed. 

He supposed he could take a break after consecutive days of overtime...

Lin Ling exhaled, stepping back slightly, only to jump upon bumping into another man behind him.

There was someone else in here??

Lin Ling was so caught up in his colleagues' shenanigans that he didn't even notice.

"Sorry!" He blurted, close to letting out a high-pitched screech. He visibly cringed as he scooted over to give his colleague more space. Thankfully, the other man didn't seem to have toppled the drink he was holding. 

Why isn't he saying anything? Is he angry?

Lin Ling tried his best to not look painfully guilty and failed, miserably so. He pursed his lips as the lift descended, sneaking the occasional side-eye at the man, only to immediately jerk his head forward when their eyes met. The silence made it worse. It felt as though he could breathe only when the doors opened, and Lin Ling raced to the train station in an attempt to circumvent the awkward situation.

The next morning, Lin Ling stared at his unrepaired laptop as if it had personally betrayed him. 

Right, how could he have forgotten that it wasn't actually fixed? Because of how his colleague was so eager to get him some rest, she didn't actually get to fixing it.

Unfortunately, their department wouldn't start work for another hour, which meant he should ideally come up with some ideas before then. With a resigned expression, Lin Ling reached into his drawer, taking out some pen and paper.

Lin Ling headed towards the tables of the IT team at 10.30, bringing his laptop with him. His coworker from yesterday was already absorbed in an animated conversation about the latest hero news with someone else. The rest drifted about, gathering morning coffee at a glacial pace.

Then he saw the black-haired man from yesterday. 

He's in IT too? At this hour, he looked like the only one who was available and uninterrupted. 

... Should I ask him? What if he remembers I slammed into him yesterday? He wouldn't lash out at me for asking to fix my laptop, right?

Lin Ling shuddered at the thought. He remained at a standstill for a while, unsure of whether to cut into the other two's conversations or to ask the (presumably) free guy. As if sensing his hesitation, the man's eyes lifted to land on him, and he turned his head to fully stare with a questioning gaze. Lin Ling froze like a mouse caught mid-scuttle.

Well... it wasn't as if he had anything to lose.

He straightened his posture instinctively, walking towards him with his laptop clutched in his hands like a lifeline.

"Hi..." Lin Ling tried to sound as polite as possible, though his voice just seemed meek. "Could you help take a look at my laptop? I tried to repair it on my own, but it didn't work."

The man hummed in acknowledgement, taking his laptop without question.

"Sorry to trouble you." He added, a little hopeful.

Again, silence. Maybe he just had a more introverted personality? That was surprising considering how most of his colleagues in the IT team were extroverted. Lin Ling watched as he typed silently, eyes flickering over the screen. Before he could even finish one full anxious thought, the man had already finished his work on the laptop and handed it back. "It's done."

"It's done...?" He echoed, in awe. Lin Ling had tried countless tutorials, forums, and troubleshooting guides online, but all of it seemed beneath whatever the guy just pulled in a few minutes.

The apathetic looking man merely smiled and turned back to his own matters.

Did he have the wrong idea about him the whole time? Lin Ling went back to his table, pleased that he could finally type again. He knew he definitely misjudged him based on their back and forth, but he's surprisingly... friendly? Friendlier than Lin Ling thought he would be, anyway.

Ah. And he left without even thanking him.

Lin Ling looked between his backlog and the messy sketches on his table. If his colleague left at 7pm each day, he could probably catch him and thank him properly with the drink he was holding in the lift the other time.

He set a mental note to get off work at 7pm today as well to catch him before he left. It was certainly awkward to show up just for thanks, but Lin Ling much preferred his appreciation to be given late than never. Besides, all he had to do was find the man and get him the drink. How hard could it be?

It was, in fact, very hard to catch the man.

Being the type to go all-in the moment inspiration struck, Lin Ling found himself buried in his work until it was past the time he wanted to find the colleague. The next day was the same- he had reached the IT department at 7:01pm with the soda in hand, but by then, the man was already gone. The puzzling part was that none of the others on the IT team seemed to realise, and were even confused when he asked them about him.

Lin Ling wasn't hallucinating, was he? It was true that his sleep quality had been poor lately... But surely the man was not simply a manifestation of his own imagination? Bothered by the remarks of the people in IT, Lin Ling decided to keep an eye out for him after that.

The same guy sat down at 10am in his usual seat the next day. He seemed to have a rather rigid routine of getting coffee the moment work started, and would get lunch at the cafeteria like the others. But because of the similar dress code in the office, it was a little hard to follow him with his eyes. He'd sometimes just vanish even if he was there a moment ago, much to Lin Ling's disbelief.

He finally caught him at 6:55pm on Thursday near the vending machine. The man looked like he couldn't find a coin on his person, so Lin Ling gently inserted one into the machine for him, the can clattering into the slot below. He picked up the drink, handing it to him.

"I wanted to say thanks..." Lin Ling awkwardly begun. "For helping me with my laptop the other day. I've been meaning to give this to you."

The black-haired man accepted the drink, studying him with an indifferent expression.

"So you've been trying to catch me after work," he remarked as he popped the tab open. "You're surprisingly familiar with my schedule."

Lin Ling's soul briefly left his body. The man definitely knew he was following him around these few days.

"I! I wasn't watching you!" he sputtered, hands flying up defensively. "I just... happened to come by. Coincidentally. Twice. No, thrice? Three times. But not in a creepy way! I just didn't want to leave a thank you hanging."

He stopped when he realised the man was looking at him with the faintest curve in his expression. He looked borderline irritated earlier, but now he seemed more amused.

"I didn't say it was creepy." He said calmly. "I'll accept the drink. You don't have to go so far next time, just leave it on my desk."

His watch started beeping, and like clockwork, he disabled it and went to get his briefcase.

"... See you tomorrow." 

Lin Ling blinked, slow to react, his mouth parting in surprise. "See you..." he echoed, a beat late.

By the time he finished the sentence, the man had already taken the lift down. His actions were so predictable that Lin Ling wasn't even surprised at this point.

But his words. They were plain, almost offhand with the way he said it. Yet, knowing that he wasn't the type to interact much with his colleagues, these words that came from him felt unexpectedly warm.

Chapter Text

FOMO had been ramping up its advertisements as the date of the Hero Tournament inched closer. Though that was of course- the tournament was the one thing that most people in X city talked about. The biggest conversation starter was usually about which hero one supported and gave their trust to. But since the tornament was skipped for a year, expectations from their audience were higher than ever, and overtime became the norm for these few weeks.

Silently suffering at his desk, Lin Ling reached for his eye drops once more, shoulders sagged in defeat. It was true that he was compensated with free dinners and company-paid rides home for his hard work, but Lin Ling felt an unrivalled sense of envy towards seeing the black-haired man always clock out on time.

How does he do that? It was like everyone collectively decided to not notice him at work. Lin Ling's colleagues would at least bid farewell to him the moment he went home.

Maybe he should ask him sometime?

Stretching as he got ready to catch his ride home, Lin Ling froze at the sound of something crashing down onto the floor a short distance away.

A villain?! Right outside the building??

Someone in white stood in front of him, hands casually in his pockets like this was no other than a regular day. Seeing the villain lurch towards them, Lin Ling's breath hitched, and he hurled himself forward without thinking to grasp onto the man and yank him sideways to avoid the blow.

Snap!

The air was now colder than usual. Lin Ling cracked one eye open experimentally to find himself in one piece.

"Are you alright?" He blurted out, anxiety written all over his face. Lin Ling jerked his hand back once he noticed how he was grabbing onto the man's waist in a rather undignified manner, suddenly realising from the wind tugging through his hair that they were no longer in front of FOMO's building, but rather on some kind of roof.

The villain was nowhere in sight, and the man in front of him turned around to fully face him.

... X? 

He had not recognized him amidst all that was going on just now. Lin Ling immediately cringed at his words. Of course he was alright. Lin Ling wasn't his most devoted fan, but even he knew that X could defeat just about all the heroes in a matter of seconds without a scratch. Why would he get hurt by a random villain?

X originally looked as though he was in an unpleasant mood, but Lin Ling's outward worry made him smile, his features softening.

With another snap, the hero disappeared.

Lin Ling scrambled to the edge of the roof, watching X defeat the villain without so much as a scratch. Members of the public had begun to slow down and take videos, rejoicing in his victory. Lin Ling was so caught up in the shock of seeing the top hero that he only discerned his current situation after X looked towards his direction once more.

Right. He should really find some way down...

Lin Ling looked around for the exit, though it didn't seem to be necessary. One moment, he was still crouched on the roof, and in the next, he was suddenly on the ground, right next to where his company ride had stopped. 

Startled by the development, it was all Lin Ling could do to stare dumbly after X, who he presumed was behind the abrupt teleportation again.

"Thanks..." He called out. The hero waved lazily without looking back.

...

What was I doing? Grabbing onto him like an idiot... Lin Ling thought silently in the car. But to be fair, he just wasn't thinking that much at that point in time, and was genuinely worried about the 'civilian' being caught in the villain's attack.

Even though he fumbled this badly, X had dropped him at a spot where nobody was watching, taking into account that not everyone desired to be on the news. Lin Ling was still bewildered at that level of consideration exhibited by the hero.

Noticing his own expression in the windows, Lin Ling quickly glanced away, as if that avoidance would help get rid of his thoughts.

He opened FOMO on his phone, determined to distract himself with literally anything else. Cat videos. Cooking clips. Random memes. Anything.

But the moment the page loaded, the algorithm shoved the same trending video of X right back into his face. It had only been a few minutes since it was uploaded, but it was already gaining popularity at a fast rate. Footage of Lin Ling were all either wiped out or too blurry to make clear who he was, and from the video, he could see X's smug expression as he handled the villain a little better.

Lin Ling felt his face burn as he scrolled again. His feed would inevitably bring him back to the video of X, as if he needed to see multiple different angles of the same fight on both high and low quality.

Just his luck.

As days passed, Lin Ling joined the black-haired man for lunch whenever he could.

It was less for the sake of the man but more for himself. Being a newbie in a company where most employees already had their own circles that they defaulted to, it would be great to have his own connections. And it didn't look like the man was urked by his presence, so he had wordlessly inserted himself into the man's routine during their breaks.

Though, being near Lin Ling was definitely a good-to-have rather than a must-have for the man, for he would leave the moment he felt like it. He also seemed reluctant to divulge too much information about himself, and Lin Ling stopped asking after a while.

Today was one of those days where FOMO had invited a group in to perform, and many turned their heads to watch the enthralling magic show that was trending recently. Lin Ling would catch the man's gaze flitting towards the magician from time to time as he ate.

"You like magic?" Lin Ling asked. It was rare for him to express interest in anything. The magician was playing around with a deck of cards, changing the colours of it at will and drawing excited reactions. He remembered trying out some tricks when he was younger, particularly with the linking rings because it was quite popular among his friend group. This brought back many fond memories.

"I dabble in it occasionally." His colleague murmured.

He actually replied this time...

Lin Ling perked up. "Then you should show off your skills sometime!" He remembered something and grew sheepish. "But I'll have to warn you that I'm not the best audience. There was once when I was younger where I openly analysed a magician's trick during the performance to try to figure it out and got thrown out of the show."

That discouraged him a lot back then, though it wasn't the factor which stopped his interest in magic. The main aspect was probably lack of time and a switch in interest towards Moon as he grew up. "I pretty much only remember the coin trick."

"Oh? Which one?"

Lin Ling reached to the back of the man's ear, before promptly pulling out a coin. "Just this." Compared to whatever the magician was doing on stage, this sleight of hand probably seemed lame.

But his colleague was faintly amused. "Not a bad start. I'm also quite the opposite to the magician that you mentioned. I don't mind an audience which tries to figure out my tricks."

Lin Ling had never seen him this awake except from when he was buying soda or hero magazines, and he found the man's smile infectious on top of familiar. Had he seen this expression somewhere else before...?

"Lin Ling! There you are," Someone from his marketing team rushed over, breaking Lin Ling's prior train of thought with the panic evident in his voice. "Quick, which district do you live in?"

"District 13. Why?"

His colleague sucked in a sharp breath. "You're not gonna like what you see, but you should check out the top livestream on FOMO. Right now."

Confused, Lin Ling pulled out his phone. The magic show had just ended, but it seemed like everyone around him was glued to their screens instead of discussing the performance, murmurings filling the cafeteria.

The black-haired man scooted close as he opened FOMO. Lin Ling immediately froze at the title of the most popular livestream at the moment.

Nice confirmed dead! Suspected suicide??

He clicked in without hesitation. The comments section was an explosion of shock, and he briefly read through some which were explaining all that happened.

While fans were already puzzled due to Treeman silently cancelling the programmes Nice was due to star in, word had it that the truth about Nice only came to light when God Eye and Nice's nemesis Wreck showed up to demand the truth.

Lin Ling's throat tightened at the sight of the spiral-like structure Wreck had unleashed right outside the Treeman company building. From what he could see, stones and jagged rock had erupted from the ground, tearing through entire streets. Social media sites were also thrown into plain chaos in real time as Wreck ripped off his mask, prompting the fanbase to immediately recognise him as Nice's companion back when they started out as idol trainees.

Treeman was slandered left and right in multiple media sites at this point. Thankfully, Moon didn't seem to be involved in this scenario at all. She should still be in the hero tower instead of at Treeman HQ.

But his district, being so near to Wreck's attack, was in pandemonium. The fortunate part was that Lin Ling was not there when it happened, and the unfortunate part was that the standoff might last quite long with the way it was progressing.

"This is bad." Lin Ling worried his lip. He should probably house himself at one of the hotels nearby for the time being... having insurance for this kind of occasion was a relief.

Lin Ling exited the app to search for the nearest accommodations to the company, only to hit another roadblock.

How are most of them already full? He scrolled further just to make sure, but every affordable room nearby was already marked as booked. There were definitely the pricier options left, though his insurance wouldn't be able to cover the full cost.

The black-haired man's expression was tainted with the slightest furrow of his brow. Lin Ling would have taken more time to appreciate the worry if he wasn't actively thinking of how to tackle this.

There's got to be cheaper options elsewhere. He opened a new tab. Motels, maybe... Lin Ling typed in the words and said nothing at the sight of the prices. Okay, absolutely not. Rentals nearby... His face dropped slightly at the results. Of course they also had to be crazy expensive out of the blue.

"I could house you for the time being."

The offer jolted him out of his rumination.

Lin Ling turned towards the black-haired man, needing a full second to register what he had just said.

"... Huh?"

Chapter Text

Three weeks into his new job, Lin Ling had the craziest theory that his colleague was hero X himself.

This idea had first sprouted during an especially delirious late-night storyboard session, when the FOMO playlist he kept running in the background started a popular video of someone analysing where X might be.

As the top hero, it was close to impossible that X had zero presence in X city, which led the person in the video to theorise that X lived on some other planet, given that he had once brought Smile to the moon and back. Lin Ling listened for a good few minutes before pausing the video, slightly distracted.

It was true that the top hero could go anywhere he wanted, but to Lin Ling, X having a secret identity seemed more plausible. With his powers, it probably wouldn't be hard for him to live as someone that looked entirely different.

Taking a still photo from the video, Lin Ling silently played with the frame of X, resting his cheek on his palm as he inversed the colour scheme of his outfit. Something like this, possibly? Black hair and a black outfit seemed to be the norm that most people went for nowadays. And to couple that with a presence which was so low he was almost unnoticeable...

He huffed as the thought of his colleague came to mind. In some odd way, he ticked all the boxes.

Admittedly, he was rather sleep-deprived at the time of conjuring this thought, but it just seemed to make sense to him.

Had he ever seen a person with such low presence before? It was not the normal kind, like an introverted coworker who avoided office group chats. Lin Ling could swear his IT team walked past him multiple times a day without noticing him until the man spoke.

Rather than a trust value of zero, the way it was hard to notice him felt more like something that was reinforced by trust. But that in itself was a paradox, since having that ability in the first place would need him to be noticed.

Unless, the reason his presence was so dull was because he had another identity. A vibrant, well-known one that soaked up all the attention like a sponge, leaving nothing for his civilian side?

He stopped tapping his pen on the table.

If Lin Ling was hero X, he would totally behave in a way fitting of the black-haired man he knew. Working at FOMO also meant he was one of the first people to have access to latest hero news.

Lin Ling groaned into his palms.

"This is what happens when you work overtime." he muttered to himself. What was he even thinking about?

The two had vastly different personalities and vocal tones. X was more confident, sarcastic and sharp-tongued, while his colleague was predictable and sounded sleepy most of the time. Unless that was an intentional play on X's part?

He couldn't lie, he liked whatever delusions were coming out of his sleep deprivation. But maybe it really was time to head back.

Current time

The guest room was rather clean and neat, just like the rest of the house.

Lin Ling found himself slightly amazed by how minimalist his colleague was. But then again, having a space uncluttered and easy to maintain was probably grounding for most people. It calmed him down looking at such a place.

"I know I said it many times already, but I really am grateful for your offer. I'll repay you properly." Lin Ling murmured, setting down his 'luggage' which was no more than a few new sets of clothes and makeshift necessities.

Who would have thought that his colleague would be this generous towards a rando who barely had any forms of interactions with him? Having connections around really did pay off in some strange way.

It didn't take long to put everything in place. He got an awkward tour around the house, and that was it before they went to get dinner together.

"Do you usually eat only confectioneries and street food?" Lin Ling butted in a little cautiously. It was probably rude to call out eating habits, but he was curious, since it's pretty much all he's ever seen the man eat.

His colleague's gaze pointedly shifted to the burger in front of him, as if to say what he was eating was none of those two things he just mentioned.

"Why not try the other foods?" Lin Ling continued, "The mi xian here is not bad. There's also a lot of options you can pair with rice."

"They're not to my taste." He muttered. 

Because they're not sweet enough? Lin Ling remembered his obsession with sugar. He seemed to put the taste of the food at number one priority. 

"What do you usually eat?"

After the man listed a compilation of foods he rotated around each week, Lin Ling was so bewildered that he could not help but marinate in disbelief for a moment. Yet he couldn't even find himself to fault him. The things that he liked reflected such childlike tendencies that it was almost endearing.

Come to think of it, X also liked sugary things like this. He recalled the hero mentioning briefly in an interview that he was a fan of soda and energy drinks.

... Don't tell me, he's secretly a big fan of X and was trying to emulate him? Lin Ling wouldn't even be surprised if that was the case - X was the most popular hero, after all. That would also explain why he enjoyed magic tricks.

Or maybe he really was X. Anything could be possible at this point with his mysterious coworker. He might as well have called him that, given how they had similar habits.

X (?) leaned closer, the slightest smile on his face. "Do you still think you can change my mind about regular food?"

"..." Lin Ling thought about it silently.

He drank coffee, too, didn't he? Lin Ling would often find him diabolically pouring multiple sugar packets in his drink in the morning, and once thought that it defeated the purpose of drinking a bitter beverage. But based on this, it appeared that X was not opposed to food options just because they were not sweet by nature. If it's just about the taste, then...

"Why not," Lin Ling murmured. "I'd like to have a try at least."

The next day, Lin Ling clocked out on time and bought a bunch of ingredients home. It didn't take long for him to make some simple dishes, rice, and a hearty pot of soup. By the time X was home, the aroma of food was already emanating in the house.

"I knew you were going to cook sometime soon the moment you asked to use the kitchen, but I didn't expect it to be today." X changed out of his shoes, coming in.

"I have to repay you somehow," Lin Ling glanced at the dessert box he was holding. "Want to try some?"

His colleague moved over once he had set his briefcase down, looking into the pot at the egg drop soup he was stirring. Lin Ling cautiously raised a soup spoon towards him, and thought of blowing at the spoon to make it less likely to burn his tongue, but decided against it when he realised how that might look.

"It's hot." He reminded instead. X gently clasped his hand to get a better grip of the spoon he was holding, tasting it experimentally.

His expression hardly changed, but he didn't do that subtle thing where his eyebrows knitted together at the taste of coffee that was too bitter or cakes which were not as sweet as he thought it would be.

"What do you think?" Lin Ling asked, more than curious.

"Pretty good." X finally said. His eyes panned to the opened strawberry milk packet left on one corner of the kitchen. "Did you take reference from how sweet the drink was?"

"You noticed?" Lin Ling broke into a smile. "I thought that taste would be the most important factor when you evaluate different foods, so I added some more sugar based on the strawberry milk you like so much. The soup is mildly sweeter than what others serve outside."

X didn't say anything. He gazed at him with a... look, that Lin Ling couldn't quite decipher.

After a while of interacting with him, Lin Ling grew to realise that it was easy to tell whenever the man was in a bad mood. He'd look more grumpy than usual and yawn a lot more. His tone was also flatter whenever he was just not in the mood to talk. Based off those, it looked as though he was in a pleasant mood now, but the exact emotion he was feeling was lost in translation. Lin Ling was abruptly reminded of that time hero X smiled at him after saving him, and his face grew hot again.

"Alright- why don't you go sit down? I'll be out with the food in a bit." Lin Ling shooed him away, turning back to stir the pot.

X wordlessly opened the cabinets to take out bowls and utensils, setting the table. Lin Ling served the dishes in no time, and both of them sat on the floor on opposing sides to reduce the awkwardness of eating with the misaligned height of the couch to the table.

"Do you usually cook for yourself?" X asked, getting a small sample of each dish to pair with his rice. By far, all of them seemed to pass his taste test, and he didn't wrinkle his nose at any.

"I make some simple dishes from time to time to get by, but nothing fancy." Lin Ling got some soup for himself first.

X was a faster eater than he was. It was no surprise, considering that he's seen him chug cans of soda within mere seconds, but it was still astonishing how each time he lifted the bowl to his face, the generous amount of food he scooped into his bowl would be gone right after. He finished his share when Lin Ling was only halfway through his bowl of rice, setting his chopsticks nicely across the bowl before standing.

"I'm getting drinks. Want anything?"

"I'm good."

Lin Ling watched as he gathered the empty dishes on his end to bring to the sink. 

As expected of someone who prefers solitude... He probably chose to be alone because of the lack of efficiency of having to wait or take care of others when he was around people.

... No, that was just his wild guesses. Why would X invite him to live together if he hated people so much?

Even still, Lin Ling ate slightly faster when X came back with a can of beer.

"Why are you speeding up? You have rice all over your face." The other pointed out.

Lin Ling consciously set his chopsticks down, taking the offered tissue to wipe his cheek. X sat down on the main couch with a leg up.

"Even after knowing you for a while, I don't think I've ever asked which hero you are a fan of."

"Me?" Lin Ling didn't even hesitate. "If I had to choose one... it would definitely be my idol, Moon. It wouldn't be exaggerating to say that she helped me through my darkest times." He could hardly imagine how it must be like for her now, with the person she loved dead and Treeman being under fire. The only blessing was that she was not actively being harmed, and the fans were giving a ton of emotional support.

"And recently... I ran into hero X. He quite literally appeared out of nowhere and saved me. I suppose I am a little bit of a fan too."

"Do you like him?"

"I wouldn't! Use that word..." Lin Ling squeaked, unable to help the way his face pinked. He immediately got defensive in his embarrassment. "But he is interesting."

His colleague made a sound of curiosity. "In what way?"

"I feel that an overwhelming majority think of him as a god." Lin Ling placed his chopsticks on his bowl. "I can see why, given the nature of his powers. But I find him very human."

"Human?" X echoed, his expression changing slightly.

Lin Ling nodded. "It's all baseless assumptions I'm making, but I have seen some of his fights in my spare time. Like that time he fought Dragon Boy. It's not really reported on in the hero magazines and such, but I think he was grieving. Him and Nice both, for hero Smile. He feels very human to me because he's hurt when the people he cares about are hurt."

He chuckled nervously upon seeing X's slightly downturned expression. How could he forget that this man was probably a huge fan of hero X?? To rip a hero from their pedestal was rude towards some fans.

"Oh! But it's probably just wishful thinking on my part. I like believing that anyone can be a hero. And him being anything other than human wouldn't fit into my narrative." 

Lin Ling stood up with the remainder of the empty bowls and plates. "Anyway. What about you? Do you like any of the heroes?"

"Not particularly..." X muttered, swirling his beer can in a sluggish way. His face was slightly flushed, no doubt from the alcohol.

"None of them?" All this time, Lin Ling had thought he was at least a fan of hero X for sure. It was an unpopular opinion to not have a hero one liked slightly more than others, but Lin Ling somehow found it easier to believe because of X's personality.

"Compared to a hard no, it's more like a hero which could potentially be my bias has not showed up yet." His colleague explained, now laying down on the couch.

"If anyone like that exists... I think it'd be someone like you."

?

Lin Ling's mouth parted slightly, and he stared in his direction while in the middle of washing the plates. X had fallen asleep on the sofa, his breathing evened out.

Did he hear that right?

Chapter Text

X began to weave himself into Lin Ling's day more frequently after he became used to Lin Ling's presence in the house.

Admittedly, Lin Ling did think that it would be awkward to live under the same roof, given that his lunchmate had extremely introverted tendencies during their initial few encounters, but X turned out to not only be a lifesaver, but also an incredibly good host for guests.

He would notice things that not even Lin Ling himself knew, like the way he placed his mug, and adjust the handle each time to make it more accessible. There was once where he silently restocked the sesame crackers Lin Ling liked too. The moment X noticed that they ran out of these tidbits, he would see that they were replaced by the end of the day.

In return, Lin Ling cooked for the both of them if time allowed him to do so, prepping meals for lunch whenever he had the chance.

Now nose-deep in a compilation video of Treeman's heroes, Lin Ling made a troubled face at the screen. He wasn't always interested in the other heroes outside of Nice and Moon, but now that increased scrutiny were levied on Treeman as a company, more and more of such videos were showing up on his FOMO feed.

"I'm surprised you're still awake."

Lin Ling nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden noise.

He turned in his chair, and froze when he saw X standing in the doorway. 

"Did I wake you?" Lin Ling asked. Back when he lived alone, he didn't have to close his doors as often, and it seemed this habit had come back to bite him. The light spilling out to the other room must have disturbed him to some extent.

X's voice was almost like an exhale. "No."

He lifted a small box in his hand. "I still have the dessert that I bought earlier. Want some?"

It's a box of fruit tarts. He remembered mentioning it offhand that he liked fresh fruit because of its refreshing taste, and it seemed that X remembered his preferences.

Lin Ling automatically reached out, until he noticed the ink smudges covering his fingers from previously working on a storyboard.

"... Maybe not." He decided against it, retracting his hand.

X stepped closer. "I can feed you." He offered, holding up the fruit tart in his hands.

Lin Ling's eyes widened slightly at the offer.

"I... Okay." he stuttered, scooting forward in his chair without thinking. He opened his mouth experimentally, and felt the dessert press against his lips. It tasted sweet, and not as cloy as he expected. Lin Ling's gaze briefly met X's, and he looked away quickly as he tried for another bite.

For a few days now, Lin Ling tried not to meet X's eyes, because each time he did, the memory of X's words from before would come back and render him unable to function. But not looking made it hard to eat the tart as well. Lin Ling inwardly cringed as he felt it smudge on one side of his face.

"You always get food on your face." X murmured, thumb brushing the corner of Lin Ling's lip to dab away the custard which had spilled out to the corners of his mouth.

Lin Ling's heartbeat punched the inside of his ribs.

"I'll get you a tissue!" 

X didn't wait for him to get up. He brought the thumb with the cream on it to his lips and licked it away. As if only just registering what Lin Ling had just said, he looked up. "Hm? No need."

Licking the finger was normal. A normal thing to do. Lin Ling thought silently. I would have done the same if it were me. 

But why did he feel all hot and tingly inside? He's never felt that way before, and it was all too distracting whenever X was involved and he was seized by this strange emotion. 

"What were you watching?"

"... Just this," Lin Ling's eyes unabashedly followed X to see his expression as he showed him his screen. He intentionally averted his gaze when the other turned towards him, and if X noticed, he didn't say anything. "The Nice saga had been out of hand lately, so I've been watching videos of the other heroes. Firm Man has a rather surprising history."

X looked expectant, and Lin Ling took that as a sign to divulge into a summarised version of Firm Man's start as a hero, adding his own thoughts alongside it. 

What interested him was not the hero himself, but rather his nemesis. It was rare to find someone who exclusively tampered with the imagination of the public, attempting to sway them into thinking that Firm Man could fall.

If the masses believed that Firm Man would stand strong, he would. The way to defeat anyone with trust seemed to be expedited in this case, where Wolf Girl tried to warp the belief of people by printing a mass amount of artwork. But what credibility would she have, given that she was only recognised as his nemesis while Firm Man's merits were clearly documented? There wasn't a point to do something so futile, unless it was to put across a message.

"You think that not all she prints is fabricated?" X asked.

"I have a hunch," Lin Ling looked at the screen. "With so much belief instilled in Firm Man, it's hard for most people to imagine, or even believe in him falling. Perhaps her actual goal is not to stir up the masses, but to reach him and tell him something only he knew."

Silence drawled on between them.

"Ah, but of course, these are all just speculation. I wouldn't know." Lin Ling added.

"I beg to differ. You're attuned to reading into details." X murmured. "I wouldn't be quick to dismiss anything you think of."

Lin Ling chuckled, tickling his cheek with his index finger.

He actually listened to my theory, and was not immediately trying to poke holes in it.

In his old company, he had almost never been allowed that space. Any idea he tried to contribute to a promotion video was immediately dissected, diluted, or dismissed. There had been no room for his own thoughts, not unless they matched his boss's vision.

That place had taught him to shrink his ideas. Lin Ling wasn't used to being listened to, and he couldn't deny that it was quite a pleasant feeling.

FOMO had a meeting with all hands on deck the next day, and all staff were all required to report at 9am, which was one hour earlier for some departments. But in return, the employees were free to go after the meeting, slated to end in half a day. The best part was that it was a Friday, and the promise of an early weekend kept morale high.

The last minute meeting unsurprisingly revolved around mental health. Though the cause of it wasn't mentioned, it wasn't subtle at all that it was a nod towards Nice's death.

Anyone even remotely on the app knew of the scale of chaos that went down with Nice's working conditions exposed. It subsequently led to Treeman's closure, Moon going back to becoming a travel vlogger and Firm Man going independent due to a lack of agency hosting him for the time being. After being captured, Wreck was also temporarily set free due to strong public pushback against his conviction.

It sparked a lot of controversy how each hero agency treated their heroes, and suddenly every agency was scrambling to protect their image.

Which was why FOMO would be implementing new check-in programmes for their heroes. There were new rules given to each department, and in particular, the marketing department had newfound responsibilities to present a more holistic image of each hero.

FOMO even specially commented on one of the promo videos Lin Ling made, pointing out how it gained popularity at a fast rate due to how it showcased, even slightly, the 'humanity' of heroes and life outside of being the public figure fans adored.

If anyone were to understand a hero's life, it would be the person who made the video, or so fans said. It became an official benchmark for the rest of FOMO's marketing team to follow.

Lin Ling checked his trust value discreetly and inhaled sharply at the uptick. 

No wonder he felt as though he had been experiencing an increased interest in the life of heroes lately. Was it an effect of the bump in his trust value making him notice more things than before?

He had so many questions about trust value but nobody to ask.

Once the meeting was declared to be over, Lin Ling stood from his seat, craving the company of the one person he knew would listen to his ramblings. Adjusting his bag strap, he went towards the table housing the IT department, but was unable to find X anywhere.

"Hey, sorry, but do you know where your other colleague is today?"

She blinked, confused. "Who?"

Lin Ling made a few vague gestures with his hands on his hair, as if to make the shape of X's hairstyle. "The one with the black hair. And glasses?"

"Nope. He probably just decided to skip the meeting," another coworker chimed in, overhearing their conversation. "Dude's practically wallpaper. Comes and goes. I don't think I've ever heard him talk for more than three lines except when work's over."

But he was just here. Did they not see him sitting with them?

His phone chimed, and Lin Ling couldn't help the relieved smile that came to his face at the sight of his contact on the notifications. So he didn't leave yet...

mysterious guy

Today 11:37 AM
wru?

Today 11:46 AM
corner

im comjng over.
mysterious guy is typing...

Lin Ling looked around before spotting X amidst a wave of people. With all the tables and people milling around, nobody found him to be an oddity all by himself.

His phone buzzed in his pocket with a new notification, but he caught up to X before reading it.

"I got you something." Lin Ling murmured, holding out noise-cancelling earphones. They said they were giving them out near the stage, and Lin Ling knew of X's deal with noise, so he got him a pair as soon as he could.

"What did you just send me?" Lin Ling asked, pulling out his phone to check the earlier messages.

... Oh.

Lin Ling had done exactly that before even reading the request. His expression became slightly complicated. "What a coincidence."

X plugged his ears to get rid of the audible commotion. "Should we go?"

It was by far the first time they left work together. The hallways were still busy with employees eager to escape the huge hall, and they made their way out slowly.

Once they boarded the train home, they were pushed into standing face-to-face, pinned by the lunch-hour crowd. There were no free handrails available because of the sheer number of people on board, and Lin Ling stood so close that he could catch the soothing laundry scent from X's clothes. He willed the commute to end quickly, wanting nothing but to hear the thoughts of X on the implications of his increased trust value.

Lin Ling wouldn't go so far as to say all his theories about the heroes would eventually prove to be correct, but did this mean there was a decent chance he wasn't that far off? The thought sat uneasily in his chest. How much of what he had noticed so far had been his observations, and how much had been quietly nudged along by trust value?

It was a little scary to think about, that the insight he relied on could be taken from him the moment his trust value dipped. What if none of the theories he had made in the past few days would come to fruition if not for his trust value?

The discomfort sat with him, and he couldn't exactly figure out why he was this bothered. He would continue to be an employee at FOMO regardless of his trust value, and nothing major in his life would be impacted. Did he instinctively fear something else would change if he were to lose whatever he had of this 'power'?

The train jerked as it came to a halt, and Lin Ling lost his balance while being deep in thought. His breath caught as he bumped into X, narrowly missing his face. 

"Sorry." He muttered, mortified, immediately stepping back. A few people had alighted, though it was still cramped all around. Lin Ling tried to take advantage of it, shifting to put some space between them, only to stumble straight onto another passenger as the train started once more. 

X outright took his wrist to stabilise him.

"Careful." He mumbled. Being in a crowded train must have made him grumpy, with his lips now set in a thin, unimpressed line as he looked at the crowd standing behind Lin Ling. Even as the number of passengers decreased, X didn't let go, and kept holding onto him for the remainder of the ride until they alighted.

Chapter Text

X started typing on his phone the moment they alighted from the train.

Lin Ling slowed his pace to stroll alongside him. "Did something happen?"

"The IT department hosted a potluck after the meeting." X's tone was flat, bordering on unimpressed. "They just noticed I wasn't there."

Lin Ling stared, unable to believe his ears. "I thought you had no plans when you asked to leave." He tried to sound neutral, but the change in his tone was embarrassingly obvious, even to himself. He could be home alone. Of course he could. But X had initiated leaving their workplace together and Lin Ling had... looked forward to discussing about the meeting with him back at their place. A lot more than he thought he would have, apparently. He could hardly mask his disappointment.

"I don't." X locked his phone and slid it into his pocket with all the savagery of someone who could not care less. "They didn't actually invite me. They just remembered and asked if I'd like to come because you brought me up earlier." He started eyeing one of the street food stalls near the exit, but didn't follow through with a purchase. "Some of them have been starting conversations with me more after they saw us having lunch together."

Lin Ling's stomach dropped.

"Is that a bad thing?" He asked, oddly guilty, like he had dragged X into attention he didn't want.

"Not necessarily." His colleague murmured. 

There were more people than usual crowding outside the station. The duo stopped in their footsteps, their attention drawn to the large billboard overhead. A livestream was being projected across the screen, the shaky footage gradually stabilising.

Is that... Firm Man?

The hero was trapped in a position of holding on to the huge statue of himself at the Hero Avenue, bracing its weight with his arms. The pavements were disaster-ridden, with fractured concrete all over.

In front of him stood Wolf Girl, holding a child as hostage. The person recording this was near enough to catch their heated exchanges, and after a few back-and-forths, his nemesis released the kid to reach up and remove her mask.

"She's..." His words trailed off. The little girl Firm Man saved all those years ago? 

Firm Man started choking up, suddenly giving in to a bout of vulnerability. The crowd audibly gasped as he landed heavily on one knee, clearly losing the ability to stand tall. It was chaotic after that, but Blankster and a few other small time heroes reached just in time to help, temporarily holding onto the statue to secure it in place. They evacuated all civilians before slowly setting it down in the end.

"Your theory turned out to be not too far from truth after all." X remarked beside him. His tone was neutral, meant to be an acknowledgement, or even praise. Lin Ling knew that, but he couldn't help the way his hands tightened on the bag strap slung over his shoulder.

"Yeah." He answered in return, voice small.

They didn't linger after the livestream ended. The crowd gradually dispersed, opening pockets of space for people to move, and Lin Ling followed X through the quieter streets, up until they reached home.

The moment the door opened, X immediately changed out of his shoes and went for the couch, letting out a loud sigh as the cushions welcomed him with open arms.

As predictable as always. The sight coaxed a small smile from Lin Ling. He took the other seat in the living room, posture a little rigid.

"I... wanted to talk to you. About the meeting."

"You were the one who made the promo vid. I heard."

Lin Ling nodded, relieved that they were on the same page. Talking to X really did seem to help with his worries, just as he thought it would. "My trust value seemed to have gone up because of that."

"But you're not very happy about it?"

Well... yes. He was happy that his efforts were acknowledged, he really was. He could not deny, even now, that he desired to be a hero who could make a difference. But the way it happened was a lot different than how he imagined it would be, and now he couldn't stop thinking about how flimsy all of it felt. Since the trust was given to him over this particular promo vid, how long could the trust value be sustained? And what would happen if he were to lose it over a bad video he thought was good? Would he be able to formulate his thoughts in the same way even after losing this power?

"I guess I'm just starting to doubt my original ability." Lin Ling admitted.

He really shouldn't be bothered by it, considering that it did not come in the way of his life and career. Nobody would actively expect anything from him, maybe with the exception of the marketing team, so he shouldn't be this troubled.

... Would X stop wanting to be around him if he were to stop having this power? A brief thought washed over Lin Ling, and with it came a sharp pang of discomfort. 

Was that what had been bothering him this whole time? Did he grow attached to the companionship X provided, and was now panicking at the prospect that it could disappear?

Lin Ling supposed he did subconsciously desire for whatever they had right now to continue. X always seemed keen in his thoughts- would that still be the case if the trust value dipped? They started living together a while after the promo video was posted, which could very well mean he was already under some form of influence from increased trust at that time. 

Maybe that was why the heaviness felt so suffocating. Lin Ling cared not about the fluctuations in trust value, but rather what would happen to their relationship if he were to lose the buffer. He was starting to make more sense of why he was bothered now.

"You were the one who created that promo video in the first place," X suggested his perspective. "You wouldn't have been able to do that if you were any less capable."

...

It was strange how easily he calmed down at a few words.

That was true. Lin Ling had done a lot of deep diving into interviews and past appearances to find the nuances of heroes in FOMO. It was all driven by his motivation to see heroes as regular people, and that regard had not quite changed. He still continued to do that when he was looking into Firm Man. Perhaps all the trust did was really just to nudge him a little further, sharpening the details he was already looking for.

"You're right." The light-headed feeling was ebbing away. Now that he had fully calmed down, exhaustion rushed in to replace the emotion all at once. 

X hummed, putting the pillows on the long couch together.

"You're napping here?"

The other yawned slightly, adjusting the curtains before plopping himself onto the couch. It was obviously not meant for someone of his height, and his legs were already sticking out beyond the length of the couch. "The blinds in my room aren't working properly. It's fine at night, but the lights are distracting in the day."

"Do you want to use my room?" Lin Ling offered. "It can't be comfortable sleeping like that. You'll get back pain when you wake up."

"I won't. It's just for a while..." X murmured, closing his eyes. The usual response would be just to leave him be, but something came over Lin Ling, and he found himself grasping both of X's arms, prying him up from where he was on the couch.

"I'm the guest, and you're the host," Lin Ling managed to pull him along. "You take my bed." How could he allow X to take the couch in his own house?

X looked slightly astonished, but let Lin Ling pull him along, and it didn't take long before he settled into the bed. Compared to the couch, it was a much better fit for a person of his height. He could actually extend his legs out fully this time.

X looked between the blanket and him. "Are you not getting in?"

Lin Ling was caught off guard by the question. "Huh? No, I'm... I don't have a habit of taking naps."

"If you're tired, you should rest too." X continued, removing his glasses. "The bed's warm."

What does that mean.

"I'll think about it..." Lin Ling's voice was embarrassingly high-pitched. He excused himself outside, trying to walk normally at first, and immediately broke out of the act once he closed the door behind him.

What was that. Did that mean what he thought it should mean?

Lin Ling had initially wanted to scroll on FOMO for a bit to pass the time, but his mind was simply not with him at the moment.

Was he overthinking it, or did X just invite him to sleep in the same bed?

The thought of it made his face feel hot, and he was suddenly thankful nobody was staring at him. Lin Ling even tried to be objective about it. He could excuse many things X did in the past as him being nice, but recently, these small actions were becoming more in-the-face, intentional or not.

Does he like me?

No, what are the chances it was nothing and he was reading too much into it? Should he ask, just to clarify things instead of assuming?

Lin Ling grew to be a little nervous.

... Do I like him?

He didn't know when that possibility started creeping in. Maybe during late-night talks, during lunch, or when he found himself looking for X constantly.

He wasn't even sure. He only knew that it was comfortable being around him. Almost too comfortable, in fact. Lin Ling cared a lot about X, and he certainly to some extent enjoyed the way X looked at him and spoke to him. He also found his grumpy expression or tiny huffs of annoyance cute, not to mention the disastrous stir of emotions that plagued him whenever X even briefly locked eyes with him. But this was progressing way too quickly for him to catch up.

How should he even approach this kind of thing?

Lin Ling paced back and forth outside X's room that night.

It was a continuous cycle of him attempting to summon his courage and losing it promptly the moment he raised his fist, just shy of knocking on the door. He could definitely find better timing to ask, but who knew how long he would have to sit with this question in his mind if that were to happen. Yet he just couldn't bring himself to commit to the bit.

Lin Ling inhaled slowly. He just had to improv something. He was good at that.

Raising his hand to the door, Lin Ling froze up as X suddenly opened it. The other stopped in his tracks. "Did you need something?"

If Lin Ling was a computer, he would be blue-screening right about now. "It's not urgent." He just about used all the courage he had to not stutter.

"Come in." X opened the door wider for him. Lin Ling shuffled inside, sitting on the edge of X's chair while the other took the bed. He bit the inside of his cheek, already regretting this.

"I have a theoretical question." He begun.

"If... I'm saying if..." Lin Ling's gaze darted everywhere but at X. "Someone were to keep... doing things. For another person."

"Things?"

"Like... remembering another person's favourite snacks... their mug placement... and staring at them when they think they're not looking..." He finally looked up uncertainly to meet X's gaze. "Hypothetically. Would that mean they... like that person?"

"Yes." X replied instantly.

Lin Ling's brain lagged for a bit. He couldn't help the tiny chuckle that left his lips at the lack of hesitation from X. "And what if the person on the receiving end of this treatment wanted to know if the other person was... into them, for sure? Is there a specific way to..."

"They could just ask." X was smiling a little now.

Lin Ling's face pinked. "Are you perhaps... into me?"

"Yes."

"Got it." He muttered. All of this was taking a toll on him. Lin Ling needed to arrange his thoughts for a minute. There was a rush of giddiness swelling within him with no outlet. Do they hug now? What do people usually do in this situation?? He didn't think this through enough before going for it.

"I thought I made it obvious." X continued.

Obvious???

"On top of everything else you noticed, I also bought you the good toothpaste." X said, like that explained everything. 

Lin Ling could not help the way he gaped. "You..."

That was his standard for flirting??? Toothpaste...? He supposed he did notice a slight difference when brushing?

X definitely had acts of service as one of his love languages.

"Alright, it's about time for me to ask questions this time round." The other murmured, bringing Lin Ling back from his short-circuiting.

He nodded, readying himself, a little unsure of what to expect. In continuation to his questions, X would ask if he liked him back, probably? Do they hug then? His lack of experience with romantic relationships was showing.

X crossed his legs, his slight smile never leaving his face.

"Hypothetically, if I suspect that the person I liked had found out a secret of mine that no one else knows about... how should I respond?"

Chapter Text

"Hypothetically, if I suspect that the person I liked had found out a secret of mine that no one else knows about... how should I respond?"

Lin Ling froze.

X was staring at him without any trace of animosity in his expression, but the intensity of his gaze left him at an abrupt loss for words. For someone who always bore a sleepy face, X was a little intimidating when he was serious.

He knew.

At the same time Lin Ling theorised that he was hero X, X knew it as well. How? He had never outright asked him about it, or hinted at his identity. The number of times they had a discussion about hero X could be counted on one hand, and Lin Ling was sure his tone was neutral as well whenever hero X was brought up between colleagues at work.

Wait, but was he actually hero X? The vagueness of his statement left more to his imagination. Unless there was something else X was referring to? Lin Ling couldn't think of anything else at the moment.

"Nevermind." X spoke first, as if eager to defuse the situation. He started toying with a coin between his fingers, his eyebrows nudged together the slightest bit, as if he had misjudged the situation.

"If," Lin Ling began. His mouth felt dry with X turning fully towards him, the coin stopping in his hands. "If you suspect that. You should first hear that person's thoughts to make sure it aligns with what you're worried about." he forced out eventually.

"Mm." X hummed in acknowledgement. Searching Lin Ling's face, X's expression softened fractionally, almost imperceptibly, as if reassuring him. "You don't need to say anything if you don't want to."

He could do that. But Lin Ling had been curious for a while now, despite never having any direct proof.

"You're actually X, aren't you?" He asked slowly.

The man in front of him frowned.

Lin Ling instinctively grew a shred of self preservation, though he wasn't afraid of being hurt. If X ever wanted to hurt Lin Ling, he would have done so a long time ago.

There's a sigh. "When did you find out?"

"I didn't actually find out," Lin Ling corrected, "I did think about it, but I just thought you bore a resemblance to X."

The silence stretched. Lin Ling became acutely aware of his own heartbeat, loud in his ears, and he was unsure of what to do with the weight of X's attention. "Are you upset?"

"No." X's answer came without delay. "You have always been perceptive. It was only a matter of time."

Lin Ling felt his ears warm. "You give me too much credit."

"No," X repeated again, "I don't."

There's something about the way he said it which made him a little happy. X had never talked to him with flattery. To him, Lin Ling's brilliance was just the truth, and he made sure Lin Ling knew of it even if the latter didn't believe in it himself.

What were the chances that X was hero X himself? Lin Ling did think it would make a pretty convincing theory when he first conjured it, but it wasn't like he fully believed in his own thoughts. It was more like a funny nickname he gave his colleague, and it was only now dwelling on him that he had been living with the top hero this whole time.

Did that mean that the sleepy and disgruntled sides of him were how the suave hero X acted on the daily? That's too cute...

Oh, that also meant that he had once admitted to being a fan of hero X in front of the man himself. Lin Ling was so embarrassed he could combust. He took a while to work through whatever he could remember of their interactions, struggling to keep a straight face. A distraction! He needed a distraction.

"Now that I know," Lin Ling went to grab the calendar, sitting on the bed to show him. "There's less than a month to the hero tournament. 18 days to be exact." He pointed out. "Do you think it's possible that they'd come after you? You are the first person to consecutively win three tournaments."

"That presumes my real identity gets exposed." X replied, looking surprised at how Lin Ling immediately jumped to fretting over him. "Do you see that kind of thing happening?"

"... Maybe." The word tasted bitter in his mouth.

The whole deal with Treeman made him realise hero agencies were a lot shadier than he'd thought. Who would have guessed that they had a whole place dedicated to fear? Just a few months ago, Smile's rampage was framed as a result of him succumbing to fear under pressure. But with their research into fear being exposed, it was recently unveiled that Treeman had deliberately sent Nice to get rid of him. What was stopping the other agencies from doing the same? He would bet that Dragon Boy happened to be there for Smile's position as well.

As the top hero, X was a target no matter what. And if anyone were to catch wind of his civilian side...

"Do you have anyone who might know your identity?" Lin Ling asked. "Anyone who may not be on your side?"

"..." X's original expression turned slightly grim. He leaned closer to play with Lin Ling's hair, twirling the soft locks with his index finger. "I don't like it when you look worried. There's one."

"What are the chances that they would reveal your identity?"

"Who knows." X sounded less engaged in the conversation now.

"Are... you okay?" Lin Ling asked, realising how off he suddenly sounded. He recognised that tone. X had that same tone when he wasn't trying to continue with the conversation, or when he was mildly pissed off.

"Huu..." X exhaled, shutting his eyes briefly. He pulled his hand away. "Frankly, I'm thinking of simply not showing."

The words settled heavily between them.

"In the tournament?" Lin Ling's face visibly fell. Only after the words left his mouth did he realise how that must have sounded like. "I- I don't mean it like that. It wouldn't matter whether you are a hero. I just thought you'd become accustomed to the title of X and wanted to continue."

Was it personal preference? Being a hero was still like a dream to Lin Ling, but he's definitely heard of hero fatigue. Having too much trust value could lead to hassles in some parts of daily life, and in X's case, it was him needing to be extra careful about his identity unless he wanted his peace to be broken.

There's another reason Lin Ling could think about. He didn't want to go there, because it would make him feel guilty. And it required him to think of himself as important to X, which was still a little hard for him to imagine, considering they had known each other for only a little over a month. But what he thought of himself might not necessarily be the vision shared by X.

"It's not because of me, is it?" he asked, a little doubtful.

"..."

Lin Ling waited a little longer, hopeful that X would say something else, but nothing ever came.

So it really was because of him? It was unsaid, but both of them knew there was a fair chance Lin Ling would be in danger if anyone were to rat out X's true identity, being the person closest to him at the moment. He could be used as bait to lure out X.

Of course, X was strong. Lin Ling was not afraid of being taken as hostage, but he was afraid of continuously dragging X down both in the tournament and in daily life.

Still. If the hero agencies have not acted upon anything, there was a chance that they didn't know X's true identity as of yet. He could distance himself from X and hope for the best.

"If it's because of me, I want you to at least go." Lin Ling said at last. "I'll move back to my rental. It should be safe enough now that things have calmed down. I don't want you to have to worry."

If only he had more trust value, maybe... no, this wasn't the time to think about that.

"Lin Ling."

X's hand closed on his arm to stop him. He looked oddly vulnerable for a split second, a trace of worry flickering across his eyes. "Hear me out first."

He sat back down. Lin Ling listened as X laid out a rough plan that was clearly a last resort if his identity were to be exposed. He could tell that it was something X didn't want to have to use. The idea itself should sound scary, being so foreign, but Lin Ling wasn't quite against it. Going with his idea meant that X could physically bring Lin Ling with him into the tournament, eliminating any need for concern over whether Lin Ling was safe.

"Sure, let's do it." he said immediately after X finished explaining. "In fact, we should do it even if your identity isn't exposed. Just in case."

"You're surprisingly calm about this." X frowned, studying him with open skepticism.

"I just don't think you'll intentionally hurt me," Lin Ling replied. "We should do it... five days before the tournament? To be safe?"

"One day." X countered at once.

"Two days. On top of that, I'll move back to my rental till then," Lin Ling bargained. "You've said it yourself, there shouldn't be any long lasting side effects. And it's not like you're actively trying to kill me. I'll just take it as a coma. The non-threatening kind?"

"Fine." X didn't look as certain about the idea, but agreed anyway.

Lin Ling did not act any differently in the days leading up to the tournament. He had willingly agreed to be involved in this plan, and was not about to back out without a good reason.

But he could not deny that he was afraid.

Of course he was. The thought of being subjected to X's powers, of surrendering control so completely felt daunting. From a rational standpoint, he knew X would not hurt him, and that he most likely would not have memories of the entire duration he was out, but it unnerved him all the same.

"Are we doing it?" Lin Ling asked, beckoning him to come closer by patting the space beside himself. They were already at X's place, yet X had been dragging this entire thing out for a while now. For a person who hated overtime, he sure was doing a lot of it out of the blue at home. The stalling was making it hard for him to keep his façade up.

He wondered what X might be feeling now.

There must have been a reason why X was always working alone, which was precisely to avoid this kind of scenario, probably. His adamant refusal to join a hero agency, or to be noticed at work could to some extent reflect his desire to claw his way out of manipulation and dependence from anyone else.

Being alone might have started out as a breather for a person with introverted tendencies like X, who disliked having more work to do and responsibilities to manage. 

But how lonely must that be?

X getting close to him must have been an uncharacteristic, momentary lapse in character, where his attempt to seek some form of indulgence in companionship was not something he would do on a regular day. And Lin Ling unknowingly capitalised on that loneliness to get close.

If Lin Ling had realised sooner, maybe he could have stayed at a safe distance. He could have refused X's offer to live together, and outright prevented making things this complicated.

Yet, would it be fair to deprive yourself of close relationships, simply because independence was easier?

Lin Ling supposed X would struggle with that thought the most. He hoped he didn't have a hand in making X regret getting close to another person.

"I'll be fine. I promise." He murmured as the other finally sat down beside him.

X smiled, if only briefly. "Are you ready?"

Lin Ling huffed. "I've been ready. Do it."

It's only two or three days. I wouldn't even feel a thing.

"I'll be waiting for an answer after the tournament." X suddenly said.

"Eh?"

"You asked me a while ago if I liked you. But I never got to hear your answer on the same question."

"Whose fault is that?" Lin Ling protested, heat creeping up his neck. "Okay, okay, do it already. The suspense is making me nervous."

X's lips twitched into a smile. Lin Ling drew in a deep, steadying breath, shutting his eyes.

For a fleeting moment, he felt something warm brush against his temple. The last he heard was a finger snap, and then nothing at all.

Chapter Text

"You can... do what?" Lin Ling asked, not for clarity but due to sheer shock at the extent of his powers.

"Turn your physical body into paper." X repeated, like he hadn't just said something groundbreaking. Lin Ling tried to imagine that happening to him, and failed each time in his attempts to conjure an image in his head. Would that be painful? What about his limbs, would they be broken if he were to be folded in his paper state? No, maybe instead of folding, X would make him a miniature sized scrap of paper.

"I can carry you around with me in the tournament and ensure your safety that way." X continued. "You don't necessarily have to be conscious when it's happening."

Why was he saying like he had done it before? Had he turned anyone into paper prior to this? Lin Ling briefly remembered past fights where his opponents were downed immediately following the snap, and a wave of realisation washed over him. 

So that was what happened?

"I've never held anyone in that state for days at a time, but chances are that you'll be fine." X didn't look like he was keen on that idea, but proposed it anyway.

"Sure. Let's do it." He immediately got on board despite X's reluctance. He had put his trust in X since a long time ago anyway. As long as X could participate in the tournament without actively worrying about him, this was no big deal.

Lin Ling first heard a snap from somewhere distant.

Then he's jolting awake, stirring from his previously dormant state. His body lurched forward like he'd been pulled up from deep water, head spinning from disorientation.

"Lin Ling."

The sound of X's voice was close. Arms caught him, pressing him against a solid plane of warmth. The contact anchored him, and it eased the dizziness just enough to make him feel better.

Lin Ling's vision swam as he blinked repeatedly, smearing from indistinguishable shapes back to a sharpened focus. The floor still felt unsteady below him, and his fingers twisted into the fabric of X's shirt on instinct, as if letting go would cue the lightheadedness to return.

"I got you," X said quietly. It took longer than Lin Ling liked to admit before he was able to fully register his surroundings, and when he was able to, he immediately gave X a lookover.

"Things were held up. Do you feel okay?" There's a smear of red on X's white collar.

Lin Ling pulled away slightly, alarmed at the sight. "You're hurt."

X frowned, dabbing a tissue onto Lin Ling's face. It came away coated with blood.

Oh. He was the one having a nosebleed.

"I'm fine... I think." Lin Ling didn't experience any discomfort at the moment, perhaps excluding the shock from suddenly being released after being subjected to his powers for this long. He took the offered tissues from X to wipe his face. "More importantly, I want to know what happened in the tournament. Did you..."

X nodded.

"... at least go?"

More nodding.

Lin Ling could not help but feel a little relieved. Deep down, he had been feeling somewhat awful about partially being the reason why X didn't want to show up. His gaze drifted around, and he stared pointedly.

They weren't in X's house. In fact, he couldn't tell where they were at all. It was like a boxed up dimension with only the both of them around.

"Want to watch the tournament?" X seemed to guess his thoughts. In response to his sheepish smile, X snapped his fingers, and in an instant, the tournament flickered into existence before the both of them, as if Lin Ling was right there. 

The top 10 were being introduced one by one. A startled noise slipped out of him at the sight of a familiar face taking the number 9 spot.

"Nice...?" He muttered, peering closer. The perspective lingered just long enough for him to notice the unsettling cracks running down his face and body, before crudely cutting to E-Soul as the last participant.

X popped into the match at the very last second, drawing a collective response of confusion from the rest of the heroes.

"You went in your civilian form?" That was certainly a choice. But that meant he was probably chased down by the hero agencies or hero commission, as Lin Ling predicted he would.

Did they threaten to release information about his identity? X did seem like the type who would want to retain as much control as he could over a situation, and coming in his civilian identity would mean that the higher-ups didn't have leverage over him.

He sat through the announcer's excited presentation of the new hero tournament format. To make the competition fair for everyone, it was decided that all the other heroes would be pitched against X at one go, obviously with the intent to dethrone him. X was to also give his opponents a 3 second headstart, mirroring his three consecutive wins.

Given the sheer number of opponents, the tournament dragged on longer than any standard fight, but as time went by, Lin Ling wondered if there was another reason. 

In front of him, Ghostblade strategically attacked from X's blind spot, and was narrowly avoided by the hero. X made it look like it was barely a struggle, but Lin Ling could catch the way his hands momentarily lifted to his chest each time he got out of a close call. It wasn't obvious, so none of the top heroes might have noticed it other than dismissing it as a strange fighting style or habit.

Lin Ling tried to stop himself from thinking too much into it. It was normal to defend your heart, with it being the one most important thing you have when faced with a strewn of heroes with different powers. He didn't recall X doing that kind of thing in his previous fights, though. His hands were always in his pockets.

"Where did you put me while I was out?" He asked, just for the sake of it.

What was he thinking. Surely it isn't in his-

"In my breast pocket." X finished the rest of his thoughts for him.

Of course. Lin Ling's face warmed at the response. He shouldn't even have doubted it.

X didn't have an outer breast pocket on his suit, so it had to be the one sewn inside the blazer, Lin Ling's presence being a secret only X knew about. And he'd tried to touch it on multiple occasions the moment anyone cut even a little close.

After a rather showy display of power, X once again emerged as the top hero without a scratch on him. Lin Ling contemplated clapping politely to congratulate him, but decided against it in the end.

"Is there really no chance for you to return to your old routine?" He asked instead.

"I wouldn't say it's impossible," X murmured. "A lot more people have started to cosplay as me after the tournament. It's simpler to do that with the black hair. If I walk outside now, there are chances people would think I'm another enthusiastic cosplayer."

"That's true. Maybe just change your glasses a little to throw people off. Square and white-rimmed..." he looked up again to see that the changes had already taken effect. "That was fast."

X leaned against him. "That's for daily life. Working at FOMO is definitely out of the question."

True. Lin Ling himself might not even be safe from returning either. If X's identity was fully exposed now, there could be implications, given that Lin Ling had been flocking towards him to have lunch together a while back. Instead of fully returning to work, it might be better to stay around X for the time being.

Think, Lin Ling, think. Was there any way to help him get out of this situation? At the very least, anything that could cheer him up?

He recalled the last time he had seen X smile. He was waiting for an answer from Lin Ling... right?

"Hm?"

Oops. Did he just think out loud?

"I was saying... I don't think I've given you your answer yet." Lin Ling mumbled. His face flushed slightly under the alert stare. "Uh. I'll get to that in a bit. Can we get out of here for a start? Preferably to the grocery store."

"Now?"

"Yes."

X made a puzzled expression, but snapped his fingers anyway. The world folded in on itself, and suddenly they were standing before the grocery store and the familiar fluorescent lights. As he had guessed, not many people even spared X a second glance, with the sudden increase in lookalikes wearing suits. He could see children and adults alike dressing up in a similar way to X, snapping their fingers to imitate the real deal. Some of them even put on contour to match his facial features and made pretty convincing Hero Xs.

Lin Ling entered the store whilst pulling X's hand loosely to get him to follow, looking at the signages above his head as guidance. X usually took care of purchasing the necessities even if Lin Ling expressed that he could buy his own, so it took a while for him to get used to the place and where everything was. He eventually went for the hygiene aisle.

"Are you still feeling sick?" X looked at the tissues and wet wipes on the shelves.

"I'm fine." Lin Ling moved towards the personal care aisle, stopping when he finally spotted what he was looking for.

He looked around at the rows of different brands before grabbing a specific tube of toothpaste. After a moment of deliberation of glancing at the price tag, Lin Ling picked up the entire bundled pack instead, just to be eligible for the 5% discount. He went up to the cashier, purchased the sole item, and promptly dragged X outside to an alleyway where they were alone.

Only then did Lin Ling hold the item out to X, suddenly very aware of how ridiculous this must look. 

"... This is my answer. Is it obvious enough?" he muttered, a little shy, unable to help his smile.

Silence.

It stretched a little too long for his comfort.

Why wasn't he responding? Did I overdo it? 

He couldn't read his expression. Lin Ling thought about backtracking his words when X suddenly broke into laughter. He didn't even hide it, and had to snap them out of the alleyway just because they started to attract some curious onlookers.

"You are terrible at this." X managed to say in the end when his chortling died down.

What.

"Excuse me?!" Lin Ling sputtered, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "Weren't you the one with the strange obsession with toothpaste? I was just returning the favour. You set the standard!"

He paused, frowning at the sight of X starting to chuckle again. "... Or. Did you want something else? I can go look. There might be something better-"

"Wait," X said, reaching out.

Lin Ling had already turned halfway back towards the door, determination written all over his face, when X caught his wrist. The contact was light but grounding, enough to stop him mid-stride.

"No need. I'll accept it." X uttered through his barely concealed smile.

"If you say so." Lin Ling harrumphed, looking around. X had teleported them to a place different from his apartment, possibly a rental. The air smelled faintly of cleaning supplies and unfamiliar detergent. "This is...?"

"My place."

"It looks different." Lin Ling remarked, trying his best to divert the conversation away.

"I have a few of these flats littered throughout the districts." X tilted his head. "They didn't need identification."

Rented a few? How many was a few in this economy?

Lin Ling struggled to wrap his head around it for a minute.

... Right, he's hero X. He did advertisements too. Those must have costed the firms an arm and a leg, especially with the bargaining power of the man before him.

Feeling him take the bag from his hands, Lin Ling cringed again, and had to physically look away. Why did he think getting toothpaste was remotely romantic? No, in his defence, X made it sound like a big deal before, and he had taken it to heart.

Or maybe he bought the wrong one? There were multiple different ones of the same brand, and Lin Ling just grabbed the most familiar looking one. Was that it? X wouldn't say no to him over the toothpaste he bought, would he??

"So... are we considered to be dating now?" Lin Ling asked experimentally, mind racing at the prospect. How on earth did the people in shows react so naturally about getting together?

"If you'd like."

If you'd like. He repeated in his mind, darting his gaze away, all before circling back to cautiously land on X's face.

That's a yes. That's a yes... right?

Realising that he was spotted staring giddily, Lin Ling turned his head somewhere else.

"Do you... maybe want to..." he looked up, leaning in a fraction too stiffly, like he was bracing for impact. X courteously responded by meeting him halfway and hugging him.

This is nice.

It wasn't just that X ran warm. The past few weeks have been nothing but Lin Ling actively worrying about him, and knowing that he was unharmed simply made it so much better. Sure, there were more coming for him in the future, but that was for them to fret about later.

He pulled away reluctantly after a while, already missing the warmth. As X slowly leaned close to his face, Lin Ling panicked internally at the fast development whilst trying his best to be composed.

The kiss was soft at first, barely there. A careful press of lips, and didn't really feel like anything.

Lin Ling didn't really know what to expect. His hands tightened slightly in X’s clothes, and he scrunched his eyes shut tightly for the whole duration.

When X pulled back, Lin Ling stayed exactly where he was, eyes still closed, expression caught somewhere between mortified and overwhelmed.

"... Lin Ling?"

Lin Ling opened one eye to peek, and then the other. X looked almost concerned.

"I..." Lin Ling cleared his throat, then tried again. "I didn't do that right, did I? I mean, I don't have a lot of experience, or any experience really, and I think I might have panicked the whole time-"

"You're doing fine." X assured.

That did something to him.

"Okay," he said weakly. Lin Ling tipped his forehead forward until it rested against X's shoulder. "Okay."

He inhaled slowly. The tension in his shoulders eased if only a little.

X gazed down at him inquisitively. "Do you want to try again?"

Lin Ling nodded furiously, lifting his head. "I think I'm ready."

The second kiss felt a little different.

It was still as nerve-wracking as the first, but Lin Ling's panic didn't show as much. He also didn't scrunch his face up or grab onto X too tightly. When he pulled away, his expectant face betrayed his thoughts immediately.

"That felt like it was better." he mumbled, a little bashful and weak in the knees all at once. He still was very bad at this, but it was evident that X was trying to correct his habit of constantly being caught in a spiral of self doubt. Little by little, he had to try and change that by saying less 'sorry's and focusing on improvements.

Speaking of improvements...

"What did you eat these two weeks?" Lin Ling asked. He remembered specifically requesting him to incorporate more variety in his meals before he returned to his rental, just because he had a gut feeling X might go back to his disastrous eating habits when he wasn't there to cook for the both of them.

"..."

He narrowed his eyes at the silence.

"... You-"

Snap!

Lin Ling found himself suddenly looking at X's other form. His words trailed off into an incoherent mess at the sight of the man, flustered at his presence. He knew that it was the same person, but there was just something about seeing him wear a different expression that made him unable to properly respond. Hero X always had this confident swagger in whatever he did which made it hard to do anything but admire in awe.

X interrupted him by pulling a piece of paper out of his sleeve. Lin Ling watched questionably at first as another connected piece of paper was withdrawn, until he was pulling multiple slips out of his sleeve with both hands. Obviously the work of a mouth coil, but it didn't fail to enrapture him anyway at how random this entire situation was.

"These are receipts?" Lin Ling read the contents of one of the paper slips. There's mi xian printed on one. Rice with dishes on another. He then saw steamed buns, dumplings, with the list going on. The dates on each slip of paper seemed to match up as well, and he didn't catch much mention of the burger set meal X used to gravitate to. 

Did he have to make it into a mouth coil? Apart from the surprise factor, it was almost a little silly. But Lin Ling couldn't help the grin on his face merely from the thought of him taking time to collate the receipts just for this.

With another snap, X returned to his civilian appearance, that same smile still evident on his face.

"You wanted me to show off my magic skills a while back." X explained. 

With a mouth coil, when he could easily jump between dimensions?? Was this man serious?

Lin Ling found it hard to follow his train of thought sometimes. X was unpredictable in strange ways that made it endearing. He always seemed to learn something new about him.

Well. With the grand idea of responding to his confession with toothpaste, he supposed this made them even.

Lin Ling started his new job in FOMO's marketing department a few days after being crudely fired from his last job.

Somehow, a little more than two months later, he ended up with more than he had ever planned for. Sure, maybe things have deviated from his expectations by a rather large margin, but something told Lin Ling that he wouldn't mind it that much at all.