Looks A Lot Like A Tragedy Now

AUTHOR'S NOTE

There's a fair bit more swearing in this work than my previous two, especially near the end!

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            Jian Yang was stressed. So stressed he swore he could feel the melanin bleeding out of his hair as he greyed prematurely. Today was the Spring Finals, and they would be going up against ZGDX. Obviously, this was not the first time CK would be going up against ZGDX, but the ten-month anniversary of his breakup with Tong Yao was literally today, and they had to play against their greatest rival.

            He'd never admit it to anyone, but the thought of going up against ZGDX again in a Spring Season match still gave him heart palpitations. It wasn't logical, but he could never really get over the fact that he'd been absolutely smashed the first time he went up against ZGDX. It was less bothersome during other season competitions, but the stars had aligned today, and CK and ZGDX were the finalists for the Spring Season.

            Having barely gotten two hours of sleep last night, Jian Yang knew that he was running on fumes, adrenaline, and caffeine. Not a good combination for any professional, but particularly bad in a field where split-second decisions were as consequential as e-sports. He'd spent the ride to the stadium trying his best to catch up on some sleep, struggling to tune out the voices of his teammates who were getting a head-start on the final strategy discussions.

            Walking out to the stage from the break room felt like the longest thirty seconds of his life. He could only just barely hear the crowd and commentators over the roaring of his own heartbeat. His hands were fidgeting with the fraying seams in his pockets, carefully hidden away from the fans' sights. They could speculate that he was nervous– they could even be allowed to see it in his face– but seeing him perform nervous habits before the start of a match might just be the social death of the "Yang-shen" persona. Given all he'd lost to attain it, he wasn't quite ready to give it up just yet.

            Lightly shaking as he went to sit down in his chair, he held on tight to the armrests. He held on so tight that his knuckles were white and his palms were stinging. It didn't matter though; the match was about to begin. He took a deep, calming breath, centering himself and forcing his mind to focus just on the computer in front of him. When focus didn't come, he went to take a sip of his water, listening keenly to the commentators for something to at least distract him from his anxiety.

            He paused for a moment as he heard something about a "Kiss Cam", apparently an American concept that took place at sporting events and had produced some comedic results. For some reason, looking out into the crowd and hearing about this "Kiss Cam" felt... off to him. It wasn't his business, really, but he couldn't shake the feeling. He was almost startled to realize that this weird feeling was so strong that he wasn't all that nervous anymore,

            Deciding to entertain himself, he finally went for that sip of water while keeping his eyes on the big projector screen. Instant regret. Water that was halfway down his esophagus came back up and out his nostrils like a morbid fountain as he gasped and choked simultaneously. His body lurched forward as he coughed, eyes teary but still staring at the screen, wondering if he had finally lost his mind because how could she possibly be here?

            He hadn't, of course, her beautifully smiling visage still proudly displayed next to that of her best friend. She'd clearly seen his reaction, given the tiny shake of mirth in her shoulders. She looked different than he remembered. Not extremely so, but she'd lost the baby weight she had when they first started dating. Her fashion sense had changed too; she looked considerably more feminine in her clothing (that brightly shining necklace was no doubt bought for her by Chen Jin Yang).