Work Text:
Shi Qingxuan is running for her life.
Through the school gates, past dozens and dozens of onlookers—she’s pretty sure all of her loose leaf paper has decorated the school grounds.
But she can’t stop! Not when a honking, angry goose is nipping at her heels.
“Oh my god—please!”
Her hair sticks to her lipgloss, out of place as she twists to see if she can slow the momentum of the bird. It snaps at her outstretched fingers instead.
As she sprints up the stairs two at a time, towards the main entrance, it follows.
Honestly, it was a bad start to an even worse day. She’d woken up late—a whole half hour after her alarm was supposed to go off!
It left her with the choice of either skipping doing her makeup or her hair. She ended up doing both, leaving the house when she was supposed to have been at school. Luckily, the school was a ten minute walk away aka a five minute sprint if she went at top speed.
Sprinting in ballet flats was not ideal, but what’s a girl to do?
It just so happened that crossing paths with a goose at the corner was a set up for disaster. In a flurry of feathers and toast Shi Qingxuan had shoved in her mouth, she lost not only her toast but her dignity as she face-planted directly onto the sidewalk.
Needless to say, the goose was not amused. With an angry honk and the flap of its wings, the chase was on.
Leaving Shi Qingxuan here, stomach growling, ballet flats scuffed, and hair messier than it’s ever been, sprinting down the halls of her high school with a goose hot on her trail.
Oh, joy.
As she turns back around to stare at the current bane of her existence, Shi Qingxuan feels her foot catch on something.
And down she goes again.
Ah, just what I needed, she thinks to herself.
Only to fall straight into a pair of outstretched arms, into a hold stronger and more tender than she expected.
Shi Qingxuan blinks—once, twice, and then stares up at her savior. The girl stares back down, a small amused smirk on her lips. Her dark hair is pulled up into a high ponytail, and Shi Qingxuan can clearly see an industrial piercing glinting on her ear.
She swallows. “Thank you for saving me, uh—“
“He Xuan,” the girl’s voice is soft and smooth, with a tinge of something more.
Shi Qingxuan licks her lips, “Oh, yeah, haha okay—thank you He-jie.”
“No problem.” Neither make a move to let go of the other.
“I’m Shi Qingxuan!”
It’s only right to introduce herself too.
He Xuan smiles this time, gentle, and Shi Qingxuan takes a moment to appreciate her black lipstick. “I know who you are, Shi Qingxuan.”
"Oh! Oh, you do?”
He Xuan nods once, her ponytail brushing Shi Qingxuan’s cheek.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you He-jie!”
He Xuan tightens her grip on Shi Qingxuan. “You too.”
The goose is no where in sight.