Non-Inertial Dependence

[It's finished! The whole story has been thoroughly revised, and differs a lot from pirated versions. Thank you to everyone who read the official version -3-]

Jing Cheng is famous in the industry for being a flirt and a playboy. One person after another passes through his life, and no one ever manages to make him settle down.

Even Jing Cheng himself thinks he'll go on living a life of drunken revelry forever.

Until one morning, he wakes up aching all over in the arms of his longtime friend. Song Linjing, usually so cool and reserved, is acting uncharacteristically tender.

The other man nuzzles Jing Cheng's neck with his forehead, as if reluctant to let go, and playfully rubs his earlobe. Then, with a hoarse voice and a quiet laugh, he asks, "Are you satisfied?"

"If you are, stop looking for other people." Song Linjing naturally kisses the speechless, stunned Jing Cheng. Calm but serious, he suggests:

"Let's give this a try."

…

Some time later, shortly before their wedding, Jing Cheng accidentally finds a few letters in the attic. They appear to have been written by Song Linjing during the period when they'd just started fooling around, before they'd officially defined their relationship.

[We embrace and kiss, trade sweet nothings, and lean against each other as we share a cigarette. We let each other cross the line, sometimes too far, then climb out of bed and retreat awkwardly to a safe distance, pretending we have it all under control.]

[I used to think that if I kept our relationship as it was and made him rely on me out of habit, until he couldn't bear to leave me, then I could say I'd had him, at least for a while.]

[But lately I've gradually realized that looking on with jealous eyes will never stop him from drifting, and that talk of keeping things appropriate is just an excuse to deceive myself. I need to think of something...]

[To make him choose me of his own free will.]

Tips:

· A story about longtime friends becoming friends with benefits, then making it official.

· A stress-relief writing exercise. The characters aren't perfect, and their moral standards vary. Please don't offer writing advice.

· The top is inexperienced. The bottom has always taken the top role before and has never been in a formal relationship, but has had many bedmates and dates. The bottom takes the lead in their relationship. Please proceed with caution if this bothers you -3-

· Includes scenes of the bottom with his lovers. Please proceed with caution if this bothers you.

· Includes a fair number of flashbacks to their school days, though I'll try to keep them brief. Please proceed with caution if this bothers you.

· A world where same-sex relationships are accepted and marriage is legal.

· I recommend not letting the middle and later sections pile up unread. The missed content is hard to catch up on.

[Saved on 2022.11.12]

[I've decided to start "Sinking" next! The blurb is below. If you're interested, go to my author page and add it to your collection~ Qianqian's second-chance romance "No Rumors, Please, But Feel Free to Be Affectionate" will probably be the one after that. There are other upcoming stories on my page too, so feel free to browse and pick one~]

[Luozhen is the bottom, Ji Yuqi is the top. As always, extreme top-focused readers, please proceed with caution.]

Luozhen met "him" one rainy evening outside the teaching building. Luozhen was quietly waiting for the rain to stop when "he" offered him an umbrella, smiling warmly as he asked, "Would you like me to walk you home?"

…

Luozhen loves telling this story to everyone. Though Ji Yuqi acts embarrassed and always says Luozhen is clingy and sappy, in his heart he wishes the other man would love him a little more every day.

After all, seeing Professor Luo, so warm yet distant with everyone else, show passionate love only to him, obey his every wish, indulge him without conditions, and kiss him every day with stars in his eyes, is enough to make anyone fall in love.

Ji Yuqi has always believed they fell in love at first sight, that they were made for each other and were meant to spend their lives in sweet happiness.

So, right after graduation, Ji Yuqi carefully planned a proposal for Luozhen's birthday. But Luozhen's attitude suddenly turned strangely cold.

Luozhen gazed at him with eyes devoid of warmth, as though trying to find someone else through Ji Yuqi.

"Thank you, but I don't celebrate birthdays," Luozhen said calmly, his bluntness almost cruel. "And I've never loved you."

…

Only later, when Ji Yuqi was lost and nearly falling apart, did he finally discover that the other person in Luozhen's story about their first meeting had never been him at all.

That "him" was called Shen Qi...

Luozhen's childhood friend, closest friend, and first love...

The flawless, unforgettable white moonlight who died unexpectedly while protecting someone on Luozhen's seventeenth birthday.

And Ji Yuqi had merely been "lucky" enough to steal a glimpse of moonlight by chance...

[The story is told from the bottom's perspective, but the blurb was easier to write from the top's side. The two leads are each other's only sexual partners.

The top isn't a childhood friend reborn. It's simply a story about an outgoing puppy slowly overcoming his deceased white moonlight rival.

As always, extreme top-focused readers, please proceed with caution -3-.]

[Saved on 2022.11.3]

Theme: Opportunity favors the prepared.